Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 8

Tang Yu raised her head and looked at the roof of the house to her left. The houses here were all single-story, with no second floor. The roofs were flat, not the sloping tile kind.

“Are there guards on the roof?”

“No.”

After getting a definite answer, Tang Yu used a chimney climbing technique, bracing her feet against the two walls and using the strength of her hands to easily flip onto the flat roof. The wound on her calf had become numb, more like it was anesthetized than healed.

She reached out and pulled the other two up. As soon as the three of them were on the roof, they dropped to their stomachs, pressing themselves against the surface to survey their surroundings.

Just as Jian Wu had said, the area was teeming with guards. Some were drilling, others were smoking and relaxing off to the side. As far as the eye could see, there were forty to fifty people.

But the guards were mostly concentrated around the first two rows of houses. Farther out, they could only see a few scattered individuals guarding the entrances and exits of the flat-roofed buildings.

“Is there a way to get to the back?” Tang Yu asked.

“Wait.”

“Wait for what?”

“Wait for the zombie siege,” Jian Wu whispered. “Night is when zombies are most active. Every night, some random wild zombies follow the scent of humans to the camp. The vanguard will rush to the iron fence to snatch points.”

“About when?”

“Soon.”

As if to confirm Jian Wu’s words, the guards in the camp began to stir. They started gathering in twos and threes and heading toward the iron fence.

By the time the first gunshot rang out, Tang Yu had already been lying on the roof for half an hour. With that shot, nearly all the guards below gathered at the edge of the camp to grab points.

Tang Yu glanced back. From her high vantage point and with the camp’s lights, she could clearly see the zombies outside the wire fence surging forward like a tide. They had lost all judgment, flinging themselves recklessly onto the electric fence. The zombies in front were electrocuted and fell, while those behind trampled over the bodies of their own kind to press forward.

Unlike Tang Yu, those corpses looked as if they had been exposed to the elements for months. There was almost no fresh flesh visible on their faces. Dull skin wrapped around their skulls, they mumbled incoherently, and drool and bits of flesh dripped from their mouths. They didn’t look like living things at all.

So pitiful, so disgusting. Will I become like that in the future? Tang Yu hissed.

Jian Wu whispered urgently, “Go! There are usually only about twenty zombies outside. The guards will be back soon.”

The three of them seized the opportunity, jumped directly off the roof, and used a roll to absorb the impact. Then they quickly ran toward the last two rows of single-story houses.

Under the cover of night, their movements were exceptionally agile. At night, a zombie’s mobility is enhanced by 10%.

Just as they were passing the middle buildings, a figure darted out from a corner and ran right into Jian Wu.

The person who was knocked to the ground let out a cry of alarm. Upon getting a clear look at Jian Wu’s half-covered face, he screamed again in terror.

Jian Wu quickly covered the man’s mouth and said urgently, “Brother Li, it’s me!”

The person who had been knocked down was indeed Brother Li. Jian Wu’s introduction had no effect, as the man couldn’t understand zombie speech at all. Mustering strength from who knows where, he shoved Jian Wu away, scrambled to his feet, and was about to shout for help.

Tang Yu hesitated for a moment and didn’t make a move.

It was Jian Wu who acted. In a panic, he clamped his hand tightly over Brother Li’s mouth from behind and let out a low growl from his throat.

Brother Li couldn’t understand zombie speech, but he could understand a zombie’s threat. Startled by Jian Wu’s growl, he froze, his eyes fixed on Jian Wu.

The three of them dragged Brother Li into the last row of single-story houses. Half of this house had collapsed, and they were now hiding in the ruins.

Jian Wu explained, “Brother Li is a minor leader in the logistics department. He’s well-informed and might know where the girl you’re looking for is.”

Tang Yu frowned. “That may be so, but how are we supposed to communicate?”

The question stumped Jian Wu. He stood there stunned, humming and hawing for a long while.

It was Jin Ye who took out the two strips of cloth to show Brother Li. She then gestured the height and build of the little girl. Brother Li understood: these three zombies were here to rescue someone.

His eyes darted around. He pointed to an inconspicuous little room diagonally ahead and then gestured wildly. The building was very small, more like a storage shed for miscellaneous items than a proper house. Because it was so unremarkable and no one was ever seen going in or out, Jian Wu hadn’t even mentioned its existence when he was briefing Tang Yu.

“Ah,” Jian Wu realized with a start. It was indeed a good place to hold a captive.

Brother Li pointed to his own mouth again, indicating he had something to say. Just as Tang Yu was about to stop him, Jian Wu released his hand, but his fingers remained pressed against Brother Li’s throat.

Fortunately, Brother Li was sensible enough not to shout again. He swallowed and spoke timidly to Jian Wu, “Brother, I’ve treated you pretty well, haven’t I? Since you arrived, I’ve always taken you along on point-earning missions. How about you let your big bro live today, huh?”

Jian Wu was a little moved. It seemed Brother Li had indeed treated him well. But the hand on the man’s throat didn’t loosen.

“I won’t kill you, don’t worry,” Jian Wu said.

“Huh?” Brother Li only heard a series of whimpers. With a guilty conscience, he assumed Jian Wu had rejected his proposal and hurriedly added, “Although the missions I assigned you were all dangerous, you didn’t take all the blame, right? That time Captain Liang chewed you out was an accident. Believe me, it was really an accident.”

A shocked expression appeared on Jian Wu’s face. Previously, he and Brother Li had gone over their heads to snatch a mission from Captain Liang, and he had been viciously berated for it. Thinking back, Brother Li had been hiding behind him the whole time and hadn’t been punished at all.

Tang Yu looked at Jian Wu with some amusement. This guy had been used as a pawn and didn’t even know it.

Brother Li wanted to say more, but Jian Wu covered his mouth again.

“So? Are we going to rescue her now?” Jian Wu asked Tang Yu. He freed one hand, picked up a nearby brick, and smacked Brother Li on the back of the head, knocking him out.

“You’re really kind-hearted. You’re really not going to kill him?” Tang Yu teased him.

“Even so, he was usually good to me, and he gave us information this time. I won’t kill him.”

“Suit yourself.” Tang Yu rolled her eyes. “Let’s move quickly.”

The three of them left the unconscious Brother Li behind and crept to the base of the small warehouse’s wall.

By now, the guards at the wire fence had finished clearing out the zombies and were returning in a noisy crowd. Footsteps could even be heard right around the corner.

The three of them had no time to think. They pushed open a side window of the small warehouse and scrambled inside.

As soon as she was inside, Tang Yu was dumbfounded.

What kind of warehouse was this? It was a wolf’s den.

The room was clean and tidy. In the center was a wooden table where a man and a woman sat opposite each other, drinking tea.

The man was lean and even wore a formal hat, sitting with his back to the window. The woman had a cold expression, and a murderous aura surrounded her.

Behind each of them stood three people who looked like subordinates.

The sudden intrusion of Tang Yu’s group made the air freeze for half a second. Silence, a deathly silence.

“Run!” Tang Yu was the first to react. Without stopping, she immediately vaulted back out the window.

She should have noticed earlier. Why would a warehouse used for holding people have a window!

The people in the room only saw three masked figures and didn’t react at first. It was only after the woman drinking tea gave a simple command that everyone moved.

“They’re zombies. After them.”