Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 94

Song Lengzhu walked quietly behind the crowd, her thoughts unreadable. She stared at Li Luo’s back, yet her gaze seemed to pass through her and land somewhere else, her expression obscure.

Xiao Qi quietly approached Song Lengzhu and whispered, “Captain Song, I noticed the B-Class Zombie King’s body is gone. Someone must have returned to the lab.”

Song Lengzhu let out a soft “mm,” her expression and gaze unchanging, as if she wasn’t surprised by this at all. In a nearly inaudible voice, she said, “Don’t tell anyone about this.”

Xiao Qi was quite pleased with herself. “Of course, I haven’t told a soul.”

The main group had already begun searching the restricted area, and there was no telling when they would leave.

It was just a low-level Zombie King. The kill points were probably less than 100. The high-ranking players gathered here were likely in for a disappointment. The so-called zombie trio, despite their resounding reputation, was merely a D-Class Zombie King.

They were worth even less than the fake zombie trio.

Song Lengzhu lowered her eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting into a slight arc.

After climbing down from the control cabinet, Tang Yu had a noticeable smile on her face, though the reason was unclear. Unlike her calm and capable demeanor during a fight, her emotions were now written all over her face, and she seemed very relaxed.

Zhou Zhou glanced at her and teased, “What did Miss Song say to make you so happy? I didn’t quite hear.”

Tang Yu’s expression froze, and she shot Zhou Zhou a glare.

Xiao Li, not having seen this exchange, chimed in, “She didn’t say much, just…” Xiao Li answered Zhou Zhou’s question with a serious face, “Just that she doesn’t care about players causing her trouble. She definitely can’t clear the suspicion of being connected to us now. That’s great. Let her have a taste of being targeted too.”

Xiao Li answered earnestly, only to find that Zhou Zhou and Tang Yu weren’t listening to her at all. Only Jin Ye nodded seriously in agreement.

“Speaking of which, I really didn’t realize this Li Luo was so formidable,” Xiao Li continued. “It’s a good thing we didn’t get on her bad side on the way here. That barrel of oil could be considered buying a favor. She didn’t pursue us before.”

But Jin Ye murmured, “It’s hard to say who was doing whom a favor. Compared to us, she seemed more intent on getting close to Song Lengzhu.”

Tang Yu’s ears perked up. Her brow furrowed slightly as her bright eyes fixed on Jin Ye.

Xiao Li said, “What’s so strange about that? When the strong meet the strong, it’s normal for them to appreciate each other.”

Tang Yu’s brow furrowed even deeper as her mind replayed the scene of Li Luo and Song Lengzhu fighting together.

It made sense. Neither Song Lengzhu nor Li Luo were arrogant people. It was perfectly normal to befriend another player who was equally powerful and had a decent personality. Having one more friend on the road was always better than having one more enemy.

But Tang Yu felt a stifling sensation in her chest. When she tried to delve deeper, she found her own feelings inexplicable. What did Song Lengzhu’s social circle have to do with her?

She was just a little zombie, not as skilled in combat as Li Luo, nor could she speak human language to communicate with Song Lengzhu like Li Luo could.

No, that wasn’t right. She wasn’t a little zombie anymore. She was at least a D-Class Zombie King now.

At this thought, Tang Yu forcibly shifted her attention to her newly acquired title. After this mission was settled, her stamina had only increased by 30, and her health was even more pathetic, increasing by only 5 points. Although she got points, compared to killing the C-Class Zombie King, the mission points were less than half of what she received last time.

The title sounded impressive, but it felt more like a label forced upon her, making her a target for everyone.

Even more terrifying was the thought that in the future, if any player got close to her, it might automatically trigger the “Kill the D-Class Zombie King” mission.

From now on, she couldn’t pretend to be human at all.

A headache. It was truly a headache.

While checking the condition of Startling Dragon, Tang Yu contemplated her survival strategy from now on. It seemed her plan to be the “King of Laying Low” had to change. No matter how much she laid low, these players would hunt her down. She might as well accumulate points as quickly as possible and make her strength worthy of the Zombie King title.

She couldn’t defeat the combined forces of the players in the restricted area, but she felt her current self could handle ordinary players elsewhere. She also needed to do more missions, not just passively triggering them, but taking the initiative.

A change in mindset can happen in an instant. From the moment she made her decision, Tang Yu’s entire mentality shifted. She wiped the bloodstains from Startling Dragon with a piece of a bandage, then sheathed the knife. Something new, called ambition, slowly appeared in her eyes.

In that case, she would make Li Luo’s abilities her goal. With a very strange mindset, Tang Yu set Li Luo’s capabilities as her benchmark.

Once she became as strong as Li Luo, she could fight alongside Song Lengzhu, and she would definitely be able to give Song Lengzhu enough room to perform at her best.

When Tang Yu came back to her senses, Xiao Li was beaming and saying something to Jin Ye. Upon asking, Tang Yu learned that Xiao Li’s points had shot up. Xiao Li had killed many Bl00d Zombies in the restricted area, some of which Jin Ye had herded to her, so the points going to Xiao Li weren’t wasted.

But Jin Ye had gotten nothing. Since she hadn’t fought any players, her points had barely increased.

Even Zhou Zhou had managed to snag many treasures. On this mission, it seemed only Jin Ye had come out worse for wear.

But soon, Tang Yu discovered her concern was entirely unnecessary. Jin Ye didn’t care about her own situation at all. Instead, she was genuinely happy for Xiao Li’s progress. Her usually serious face was now so soft you could squeeze water from it.

Okay, she was the one being superfluous.

The four of them didn’t know how long they had rested in the server room. It could have been half a day, or it could have been just an hour.

Zhou Zhou had a small light on and was studying Du Jiexu’s notebook, looking serious and focused. When she worked, she was like a different person, completely absorbed in her own world.

Tang Yu would occasionally go over to take a look, but most of the time she was thinking about what to do next. The server room was quiet, even the operating ventilation equipment made no sound. Having been up all night, everyone was taking this opportunity to rest and recuperate.

So when a slight noise came from above again, everyone looked up at the same time.

The sound was extremely faint, like a mutant rat running overhead and kicking a small pebble.

Tang Yu looked up, holding her breath, her gaze fixed on the stone slab she had used to cover the opening.

With just one glance, she sensed something was wrong. Following Tang Yu’s hand signals, the group quickly turned off the light and pressed themselves against the ventilation control box, standing in the shadows of the innermost corner of the server room.

A sliver of daylight spilled into the server room. The stone slab had been moved.

Silence. Other than that, there was nothing.

The newcomer made no move, neither recklessly descending into the server room nor making a sound.

Time trickled by. Tang Yu began to calculate her chances of winning if she took the initiative to attack.

Just as Zhou Zhou couldn’t hold her breath any longer and wanted to stick her head out for a look, a cool voice came from above.

“Stop hiding. Come out.”

Tang Yu’s breath caught in her chest, unable to be released. It was that line again. The last time Song Lengzhu found her at North Stream Camp, she had said the exact same thing.

Jin Ye reached out to stop Tang Yu, shielding her by her side.

But Tang Yu, contrary to her usual self, took a step forward and walked out of the shadows.

The daylight wasn’t very bright. The opening above was at an angle, and the light that fell was gloomy, as if the weather today was poor, a cloudy day.

Tang Yu stood under the light with her hands behind her back, looking up. Through the one-meter-diameter opening, she could see Song Lengzhu’s upright figure.

Besides her, there was no one else.

Song Lengzhu had already taken off the ugly, bl00d-stained protective suit. It seemed she had changed clothes, now wearing a black, form-fitting T-shirt. Her brown hair was loose, loosely tied into a single bunch at the back of her head.

Seeing Tang Yu standing calmly under the light, Song Lengzhu crouched down, looking at the person below with great interest.

Hmm, quite obedient this time. Came out as soon as I called.

Tang Yu was certain Song Lengzhu wouldn’t attack her, but the other’s question still made her breath catch.

As expected, Song Lengzhu spoke: “I only want to know one thing. Why are you a zombie? Why did you become a Zombie King?”

Tang Yu didn’t answer, though she couldn’t have even if she wanted to.

“Tell me the truth, and I can guarantee you’ll leave here safely. Otherwise…”

Song Lengzhu said this calmly, but to Tang Yu’s ears, it was a different matter entirely.

What was this? If she didn’t tell, did that mean the other party would let her die here?

Understood this way, it felt like Song Lengzhu’s unspoken words were full of threats.

After Song Lengzhu’s “otherwise,” there was indeed a rather unpleasant sentence. With the three top players present, escorting Tang Yu’s group out would be extremely risky. She didn’t know if it was worth it. Not revealing Tang Yu’s location was already a deviation from her usual style.

Trading a risk for an answer wasn’t an excessive demand, was it?

She knew nothing about Tang Yu’s background.

If the little zombie considered the bigger picture, she would definitely agree.

But Tang Yu looked up, her thin lips pressed into a line, her eyes stubborn, clearly not tempted by Song Lengzhu’s offer.

Song Lengzhu felt as if she’d been struck. Why was this little zombie so difficult to deal with?

Tang Yu’s gaze shifted again and again. She didn’t respond with any physical gestures, so Song Lengzhu just waited, waited until she reacted.

This direct gaze made Tang Yu’s breathing a little ragged. Her eyes instinctively darted away; she really couldn’t bear Song Lengzhu’s stare.

Her gaze fell on Song Lengzhu’s black T-shirt. Only then did Tang Yu realize that Song Lengzhu, who usually wore loose clothing, actually had such a well-defined figure. Although her frame looked a bit slender, the muscle lines on her forearms were beautiful. She was the type of person with low body fat but a very powerful build.

Wait a minute. Tang Yu quickly reined in her thoughts. What kind of situation was this, and here she was, checking out a beautiful woman.

In an instant, Tang Yu’s gaze returned to Song Lengzhu’s face. She shook her head, extremely slowly but firmly, rejecting Song Lengzhu’s proposal.

Becoming a zombie was very likely because she had committed a crime. Who knew how the other party viewed criminals? If Song Lengzhu was righteous and hated evil, she might cast a look of disgust at her on the spot.

That would be more unbearable than being stabbed.

Besides, she couldn’t even figure out her own situation, so how could she explain it to someone else?

Seeing Tang Yu’s reaction, a layer of disappointment surfaced in Song Lengzhu’s eyes, along with some other emotions.

Tang Yu then thought something was off. When she first met Jin Ye, as soon as Jin Ye heard about her amnesia and combined it with her zombie identity, she quickly pointed out her origins.

Logically, Song Lengzhu had survived in this game for so long and was so active in missions, with such broad experience, she should have guessed it too. Why go through the trouble of coming to confirm it with her?

A trace of panic inexplicably rose in Tang Yu’s heart. She secretly hoped Song Lengzhu wasn’t that smart; she didn’t really want Song Lengzhu to know her origins.

Seeing that the negotiation had failed, Song Lengzhu stood up, looking as if she was about to leave.

At that very moment, alarm bells went off in Tang Yu’s mind. She hurriedly left her spot and dodged back into the corner where she had been before.

Someone else was coming.

Li Luo’s smiling voice approached from a distance. “Didn’t they say she had already escaped? What is Miss Song doing back here?”

Judging by the footsteps, Li Luo had also come alone.

Song Lengzhu didn’t answer directly, retorting, “And what are you doing here?”

The footsteps moved toward the open hole, blocking a fraction of the light, as if someone was standing at the opening to look. Soon, the light returned to its original state. “I saw you heading this way from afar, so I came to say goodbye. Our team is preparing to leave. The Bl00d Zombies here have been mostly cleared out, not much profit left. Are you and your team staying here, Miss Song?”

“Saw from afar, or followed?” Song Lengzhu again didn’t answer directly. The temperature in her voice dropped a few degrees, and she enunciated her words deliberately slowly, completely different from how she spoke to Tang Yu.

Li Luo wasn’t annoyed. “I really did see you from afar. But just a reminder, I’m not the only player who came this way.”

Then, Li Luo’s voice grew more distant. “I’ve said my goodbyes, so I’ll be on my way. I look forward to seeing you all again.”

Song Lengzhu’s tall figure froze for a moment. The “you all” Li Luo mentioned, did it refer to her and Xiao Qi’s group, or her and Tang Yu? Before leaving, Li Luo’s gaze had clearly passed over her and landed on the stone slab.

It seemed she had still underestimated the players gathered here.