Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 73

The combat training in the village was held once a week. After three sessions, combined with practical drills fighting zombies every night, the aunties had become very proficient with guns. Consequently, the focus shifted to reaction speed and combat instruction.

Tang Yu didn’t know any specific fighting techniques, or rather, she didn’t remember them. In actual combat, she often relied on her instincts and sharp reflexes. Therefore, she didn’t—and couldn’t—engage in any kind of flashy, rigid instruction.

Before each class began, Tang Yu would spar a few rounds with Jin Ye. She would memorize the most optimal counter-attacks and, combining them with the experience she gained from fighting in the game, teach everything to the aunties without reservation.

Thrust, stab, chop, slash—each move was ruthless. Most were vicious strikes aimed directly at vital points, specifically targeting the spine, throat, and temples.

In addition to this, there were methods for dodging and survival, which were, after all, Tang Yu’s strong suits.

Considering the aunties’ human status and that their primary enemies were zombies, Tang Yu deliberately selected methods that involved minimal contact and clever offense during her instruction.

As for moves like back throws and knee strikes used in fights against humans, Tang Yu only mentioned them briefly and didn’t require the aunties to practice them.

The Tang Yu during training was completely different from her usual cheerful self. She was very serious, her eyes revealing a faint hint of ruthlessness. Only at these times would the aunties realize that their village leader wasn’t so gentle.

At first, everyone was intimidated and didn’t dare to strike so fiercely. So, Aunty Pang set up several wooden stakes in the training ground. Everyone practiced empty-handed first, and after that, they practiced with each other.

Besides the techniques, Jin Ye also incorporated reaction drills and added a scoring system. Anyone could ambush others on the training ground at any time, and a successful ambush or defense would earn points.

There were many other similar training exercises. Jin Ye refined the teaching mechanism through trial and error, planning to have the aunties engage in practical combat that night—killing zombies up close to build their courage.

The aunties worked hard every day, so their physical fitness was not poor. What they lacked was the right mindset. Facing a real threat was different from being on the training ground. They might have survived zombie hordes by hiding behind others, but very few had ever engaged in close-quarters combat or fought back against zombies.

Moreover, most of the zombies’ attention had been drawn away by players. The NPCs who were capable of killing zombies had long since left the village to establish their own factions. Those who were left behind were mostly inexperienced.

Among all the aunties, only Aunty Pang and Aunty Zhu had ever picked up a kitchen knife to chop at a zombie.

And so, that evening, a zombie was intentionally let into the village entrance by Jin Ye.

Several large lamps hung from the big tree at the village entrance, illuminating the dirt road brightly. The entire village gathered there, holding their respective weapons, glaring menacingly at the zombie before them.

It was a good thing the zombie had no consciousness; otherwise, it would have been scared stiff.

The first to sign up for this challenge was Li Xishi.

Tang Yu was slightly surprised. Li Xishi wasn’t a particularly brave person, nor was she the fittest among the aunties. However, while others were still observing and hesitating, she had resolutely been the first to sign up.

For an ordinary person, this was not a simple decision. They had only practiced for half a day and were very inexperienced. Stepping forward required immense courage. Tang Yu guessed that Li Xishi must have suffered persecution in the past, which was why her desire to arm herself was so strong.

Li Xishi held her scimitar, her body so tense from exertion that she stood stiffly. The muscles around her eyes twitched minutely—a sign of extreme nervousness.

The hand holding the knife trembled slightly. Although she tried her best to control it, an ordinary person’s fear when facing a zombie at such close range was impossible to hide. They weren’t players; if they died, they were truly dead.

Tang Yu, Jin Ye, and Xiao Li stood alert on either side, ready to ensure the safety of the camp members at any moment. Additionally, Tang Yu had secretly activated her precognition ability. If Li Xishi was in danger, she could intervene immediately, though she hadn’t told the aunties about this.

As soon as the zombie was let into the village entrance, it instinctively rushed toward Li Xishi, who was standing at the very front. This zombie was taller and larger than Li Xishi, its legs twisted at a bizarre angle. From its rotting face and the tattered rags on its body, it was clear that it had been a zombie for a long time.

The moment the zombie lunged, Li Xishi’s mind was still reeling. She watched the distorted face grow larger and, for a moment, forgot to react. Just as Jin Ye was about to step in and help, Li Xishi finally snapped out of it. She stumbled, managing to dodge two steps to the left.

The aunties let out a collective gasp and hurriedly backed away. Huang Qianqian couldn’t help but want to scream for her mother, but fearing she would disrupt Li Xishi’s focus, she covered her mouth with her small hands, forcing herself to remain silent.

After dodging, Li Xishi’s first instinct was to run back into the crowd. When she was shooting zombies from behind the wooden spikes, she had been relatively calm. But the pressure of facing one with a melee weapon was completely different.

She ran two steps, then felt she couldn’t be defeated like this. Gritting her teeth, she turned around and raised her knife, hacking at the zombie’s arm without any proper form.

This isn’t working. Her mind is in chaos; she’s forgotten everything she learned today.

Tang Yu’s brow tightened, and she couldn’t help but call out a reminder, “Focus on defense! Attack when you see an opening, and aim for the vitals.” Xiao Li immediately translated, steadying Li Xishi’s nerves.

Struck by Li Xishi’s blade, a gash opened on the zombie’s arm. The sensation of slicing through rotten flesh was transmitted to Li Xishi, causing a wave of nausea.

The attack enraged the zombie. It pushed off the ground with its twisted foot, its entire body leaping into the air and pouncing heavily toward Li Xishi.

Li Xishi looked up and drew a sharp breath. In an instant, the zombie’s terrifying, open mouth was lunging toward her face.

The entire village cried out. Even Jin Ye and Xiao Li couldn’t help but let out a scream. This was more nerve-wracking than killing a zombie themselves.

Only Tang Yu stood to the side, motionless.

At the most critical moment, a strong will to survive erupted within Li Xishi as if she’d had an epiphany. She forced down her psychological fear and, just as the zombie pounced, dodged to the side. Then, taking advantage of the opening as the zombie missed, she swung her knife at the nape of its neck. Her scimitar was extremely sharp, slicing straight through the zombie’s skin and flesh, severing the bone, and sinking into the yellow earth.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant. A second later, the zombie’s head rolled to a stop at Li Xishi’s feet.

Tang Yu quickly reached out, grabbed Li Xishi’s collar, and pulled her back a few steps. “When you kill a zombie, remember to avoid the bl00d.”

“Huh?” Li Xishi looked up at Tang Yu, her eyes clearly unfocused. She hadn’t recovered from the shock and had no idea what Tang Yu was saying.

Xiao Li quickly translated Tang Yu’s words, then pulled Li Xishi over to inspect her carefully, only sighing in relief after confirming she was uninjured.

In an instant, the aunties burst into thunderous applause. Huang Qianqian rushed over, her small face tilted up, and hugged Li Xishi’s waist, shouting, “Mom is amazing!”

Looking at Huang Qianqian’s face, Li Xishi finally came back to her senses. She was in disbelief. She had killed a zombie, by herself, in under a minute. She would never have dared to imagine such a thing before. Li Xishi’s cheeks flushed slightly. She was clearly excited but too embarrassed to show it, only smiling with her lips pressed together.

She had overcome her psychological barrier. From now on, all that was left was to practice continuously to improve her proficiency.

Tang Yu was also very happy. She didn’t expect the aunties to be able to fight players in the future. As long as they could handle zombies and protect themselves, the purpose of the training had been achieved.

Moreover, Li Xishi had set an excellent example. Her physical fitness wasn’t outstanding, yet she had still completed the task brilliantly. Now that everyone had a baseline of confidence, much of their fear dissipated. If Aunty Pang or Aunty Zhu had gone first, the effect wouldn’t have been nearly as pronounced.

The aunties seemed even more excited than Li Xishi. They surrounded her, showering her with praise and compliments. Only Tang Yu, Jin Ye, and Lu Lu quietly disposed of the zombie’s corpse.

After the zombies that visited each night were killed, the three of them would toss the bodies into the burial pit they had dug previously.

For many days after, the aunties talked about this event with great enthusiasm and found themselves vaguely looking forward to the next practice session.

This wasn’t the only change happening in the village.

Two days later, the camp’s first wooden house was finally completed.

The wooden house stood on the far right side of the village. The interior wasn’t particularly large. The floor was paved with flat stone slabs, and the roof was waterproofed with tiles. Inside, wooden planks divided the space into three rooms: the rightmost was a bedroom, the middle was a main hall, and the left included a small kitchen. A toilet was built behind the house using leftover materials.

Small as a sparrow, but it had all the vital organs.

For now, the house was empty except for a bamboo bed and a table. The kitchen was not yet in use, as everyone currently ate together in Tang Yu’s courtyard, sharing the same meals. However, considering that resources would eventually be private and they would need to cook for themselves, the kitchen had been built in advance.

The construction of the wooden house was a major event for the villagers. So, after they finished their morning chores and returned to the village for their noon break, the entire village gathered to celebrate.

Building a new house from scratch in a place where one has settled easily creates a feeling of “belonging.” Everyone’s heart instantly felt as if it had grown roots. From that day forward, they were truly and genuinely rooted in this land.

Tang Yu stood at the edge, clapping happily. This wooden house was built far better than she had imagined. Aunty Pang had said she would just build it casually, but the position of every single nail had been carefully considered.

This wooden house would not be put into use for the time being. First, with only one new house, it was difficult to assign. It wouldn’t be fair to give it to anyone first. Tang Yu decided that they would wait until more houses were built in the village, and then they would all be assigned at once. In any case, with the first house serving as a model, the construction of subsequent houses would be much faster.

Second, the camp lacked varnish. Aunty Pang said the surface of the wood still needed a coat of varnish for waterproofing and insect-proofing, which would also greatly increase the wood’s durability. They hadn’t considered this issue during their last supply run. Tang Yu would bring some back the next time she went out of the city.

In addition, on the same day the wooden house was completed, the chickens that Aunty Zhu and Tang Yu had caught earlier laid an egg.

The six chickens had been placed in a newly woven bamboo coop. Tang Yu and Lu Lu had lined the coop with dried grass and fed them raw rice. After only about ten days, the chickens had grown plump, their feathers glossy and bright.

Perhaps because they were so well-fed and cared for, the chickens quickly settled in. During the day, they would peck for insects in the yellow earth of the courtyard, and at night, they would return to the coop on their own.

The egg was laid in the evening. When Lu Lu went to do her routine count, she saw a plump, round egg nestled in the dry grass.

The egg was still warm to the touch. Aunty Zhu carefully picked it up and held it in her palm as if it were a priceless treasure. The other aunties gathered around, and Tang Yu heard someone swallow.

Aunty Zhu covered the egg with both hands. “We can’t eat it. This egg will be saved to hatch chicks. The next ten eggs will also be used to hatch chicks. If there are any extra eggs after that, we can have steamed eggs for everyone.”

The greedy crowd probably only heard the last two words: steamed eggs.