Chapter 52: Zombie Shanhai (3)
The strategist of Everyone Survives screamed himself hoarse, desperately calling for help.
Su Qiong naturally heard him.
ERROR and An’an both looked at Su Qiong, clearly waiting for him to make the decision.
In truth, they were both rather curious.
They had not known Su Qiong for long, yet they had already experienced countless things together.
Su Qiong’s nature was as clean and pure as his appearance. From the beginner zone until now, he had constantly worked to guide the players and carry everyone else to victory.
Even though many of the players he encountered repaid kindness with betrayal, Su Qiong rarely held it against them.
Aside from the incident where Yu Qimiao’s quest failed, no one had ever seen Su Qiong become angry.
Naturally, they had never seen him hold a grudge either.
Even though ERROR “bullied” him every few days, the marshmallow never seemed to mind.
But now, they had encountered the true culprit behind Yu Qimiao’s failed quest.
Both An’an and ERROR wanted to know how Su Qiong would react.
The strategist had been cornered by the high-level zombie. Even after using every method at his disposal, he could barely prevent it from getting too close.
He screamed himself hoarse for ERROR to save him, only to see that ERROR had no intention of helping. Instead, ERROR looked toward the stairwell.
The strategist’s companions hurried over, looked down the stairs, and shouted to him.
“Su Qiong and Boss A are here too!”
“Su Qiong! Su Qiong!” The strategist reacted as though he had found his savior.
ERROR was unpredictable. If he had any other choice, the strategist would never have begged someone like him for help.
But Su Qiong was different.
Everyone in the game knew Su Qiong was a guide NPC who helped players whenever he could.
Without Su Qiong, most players would never have reached Circle Four.
No.
They would not even have cleared the beginner Circle.
“Save me, Su Qiong!” The strategist desperately called his name, hoping Su Qiong would come upstairs and drive the NPC away.
Su Qiong had later learned that the anonymous message Plain Water received had been sent by the strategist of Everyone Survives.
Through some unknown method, the strategist had discovered the location of Yu Qimiao’s target. He reached it before them and killed the target, deliberately causing Yu Qimiao’s quest to fail.
If he had disliked Yu Qimiao’s terms for trading, he could have used the information as leverage.
But he had not.
He had wanted Yu Qimiao dead.
Later, Yu Qimiao returned safely.
Although he lost a bracelet, neither he nor Su Qiong cared much. They merely placed Everyone Survives on their blacklist and decided never to carry them through another instance.
Su Qiong had never intended to retaliate and had originally planned to leave the matter in the past.
Who could have imagined that before he had completely turned the page, he would encounter the culprit here?
“Su Qiong?” An’an asked questioningly.
Su Qiong had already placed one foot on the stairs. Hearing An’an, he drew it back.
“There’s a powerful zombie upstairs. It’s dangerous.” Su Qiong pointed toward the window beside them. “Let’s jump across through the window.”
“All right.” ERROR turned around without hesitation and followed Su Qiong.
An’an naturally had no objections.
Unlike Su Qiong, he was not softhearted.
When the strategist heard that Su Qiong intended to leave, he immediately panicked. He apologized, made promises, and even knelt to kowtow in the direction Su Qiong was heading.
Meanwhile, Su Qiong had already jumped through the window and successfully climbed onto the top floor of the neighboring building.
That building stood two stories higher than the one where the strategist was trapped.
From above, Su Qiong looked down at the strategist, who had been cornered by the zombie. Complicated emotions appeared in his beautiful eyes.
“You haven’t done anything wrong,” ERROR said beside him. “Once you’ve made a decision, don’t look back.”
“…I really haven’t?”
“No,” An’an answered. “I even think you’re far too kind. You’re merely refusing to invite trouble upon yourself. How could that be wrong?”
“Su Qiong, regardless of your position, you have no obligation to forget old grievances and help someone who hurt you.” Knowing how stubbornly Su Qiong could overthink, ERROR asked in another way, “Think about it. Whether you save him or not, you’ll regret it. Which choice will make you regret it more?”
Following ERROR’s words, Su Qiong fell into thought.
Indeed, whether he saved the strategist or abandoned him, Su Qiong would experience negative emotions.
Comparing the two, saving him would clearly make those emotions much stronger.
If he refused to help, Su Qiong would question his position as a white-name NPC.
But if he saved him…
Su Qiong would hate himself.
“Let’s go. We still need to reach the end of this street.”
“All right.” Amid the strategist’s hoarse cries for help, Su Qiong turned around and left him with a resolute back.
Watching Su Qiong depart, the strategist gradually fell into despair.
He looked toward the companions beside him and secretly made a decision. Gritting his teeth, he charged toward them, intending to lure the zombie to their side.
Even if he could not escape, he could at least drag someone down with him.
His companions noticed his intentions and turned deathly pale, fleeing across the small rooftop.
One player found himself with nowhere left to run and shouted, “Su Qiong!”
“It’s useless! He’s already gone!” The strategist revealed his true nature and sneered. “He wouldn’t even help me. Why would he help you?”
The instant he finished speaking, several bandages appeared out of thin air.
They firmly wrapped around the other players and pulled them across to the neighboring building.
The strategist alone was left behind to face the troublesome zombie, plunging into an abyss of despair.
“Wh-why?!”
Seeing the giant zombie pounce toward him, his heart filled with hopelessness.
He looked in the direction Su Qiong had left and screamed, “That matter! The guild leader ordered it! Ah—!”
The moment he finished shouting, the zombie sank its teeth into him, turning him into its puppet.
Su Qiong had already traveled some distance, but he could still hear the strategist’s cry. His lashes lowered.
“So there was another layer to this,” ERROR murmured. “I only traced it back to the strategist. When confronted, their guild leader claimed he knew nothing.”
An’an understood clearly. “A decision to offend our guild could never have been made by only one person.”
“I understand.” Su Qiong’s voice was muffled as he silently added a label to Everyone Survives.
In enormous letters, he wrote:
Grudge recorded.
The commercial street was not particularly long. Zombies wandered through the buildings on both sides.
The farther they advanced, the more difficult the zombies became.
Su Qiong theorized that the closer they approached the Zombie King, the higher the zombies’ levels would become and the harder they would be to handle.
“We’ll stop here for today. Let’s go back.”
“All right. We’ll discuss it with everyone before deciding our next step.”
Su Qiong turned around and returned to the small wooden house near the outskirts.
On the way, they passed the strategist on the rooftop. He lay there with a bluish face, already beginning to mutate. His gaze toward Su Qiong was filled with hatred.
Su Qiong ignored him.
After crossing the plaza, they encountered the Extremity members on the first street.
Upon seeing them, the Extremity experts contributed another clue.
“Our guild leader finally replied. She has already passed the fourth street.”
Afraid that Su Qiong’s group would not know where the fourth street was, an Extremity expert even opened a map.
“We’re currently on the first street. There are approximately ten streets between us and the Zombie King. The guild leader and several executives fought the whole way and finally reached the fourth street, but that’s as far as they could go.”
“That’s already impressive.” Su Qiong had only just reached the end of the third street and witnessed how dangerous it was.
“The guild leader said the fourth street is almost entirely populated by high-level zombies. They’re extremely difficult to deal with. However, some houses remain in good condition, and there are still traces of human life inside.”
“So humans live farther inside?”
The Extremity expert answered, “Our guild leader can’t confirm it, but it’s very possible.”
“All right. In exchange, I’ll give you a clue.” Su Qiong leaned closer and spoke mysteriously without explaining it directly. “The funeral procession.”
The Extremity experts exchanged looks, their expressions immediately changing.
“Thank you. We’ll tell the guild leader!”
Su Qiong moved farther away. Seeing them message Xi Huaiji, he murmured, “These two guilds feel very different.”
When the strategist of Everyone Survives encountered danger, he chose to persecute his companions and betray his guild leader.
Extremity’s members, however, seemed to trust Xi Huaiji completely and always placed her first.
“Mm. We’ve already entered the fourth Circle. Weaker guilds were wiped out long ago. Those that remain survived for a reason.”
At present, IF had almost formed a tripartite balance.
Only three guilds were well known: Extremity, Everyone Survives, and the Orphan Alliance.
It was only almost a three-way balance because one of the three legs was clearly much shorter than the other two.
Everyone Survives had originally been the guild with the most members. Most players who cleared the beginner-zone instances chose to join them.
The guild provided shelter to weaker players, seemingly resembling a warm protective umbrella.
At least, that was what the players had believed at first.
But as the game’s difficulty continued to increase, the members of Everyone Survives gradually realized that the guild itself was a lie.
“Everyone Survives” simply meant forcing low-level players to test dangers, exploiting them for the benefit of stronger members, and purchasing guides with their lives.
The so-called “experts” among the leadership possessed no extraordinary abilities. They merely lay upon the bones of ordinary members and obtained levels and items that made others envious.
Everyone Survives had many players, but their numbers were not infinite.
After entering Circle Four, the guild was close to losing even its numerical advantage.
Its members were also slowly realizing that the leadership intended to use them as human shields. They no longer trusted or cooperated with them as completely as before.
The other two guilds were different.
The Orphan Alliance needed no explanation. It was the legendary guild that had not lost a single player from the beginning of the game until now.
As for Extremity…
Its members said that although the game was cruel, they possessed faith.
Extremity’s faith was Xi Huaiji.
She was beautiful, intelligent, and possessed exceptional leadership.
She always charged at the front to scout paths for everyone, shared guides with every Extremity member to prevent unnecessary deaths, and used her own abilities and items to protect her guild.
Nearly every surviving member of Extremity had been saved by Xi Huaiji at some point.
They already worshiped her like a god and were willing to sacrifice their lives for her.
“The players tricked into joining Everyone Survives are so pitiful,” Su Qiong said.
“Indeed. But if they wanted to, they could leave at any time.”
“They don’t have the courage to survive alone. If they want to depend on a guild, they must pay a price.”
“What about us?” Su Qiong asked curiously. “What kind of relationship does our guild have?”
“…”
ERROR and An’an could analyze other guilds clearly, but when the topic turned to their own, neither knew how to describe it.
In the end, Su Qiong summarized, “We must be a family-style guild.”
“Family-style?”
“That doesn’t sound bad.”
“We’re back!” After introducing the concept of a “family-style guild,” Su Qiong returned to the wooden house as though coming home.
Although an outsider named Obey Me and Win remained inside, it did not affect Su Qiong’s happiness.
“You look cheerful.”
“Did you discover the main quest?”
“…No.” Su Qiong instantly wilted. He sat among them and described what he had seen outside.
After listening, Yu Qimiao rested his chin on one hand.
“As expected, this is difficult.”
If the NPCs merely possessed high levels and powerful abilities, no one would be afraid.
During the previous Circles, they had encountered many high-level NPCs. They had even dared to confront Circle Lords directly.
The most troublesome part of Circle Four was that the zombies were contagious.
Anyone who came into contact with zombie venom would begin transforming into a puppet, just like Moi.
“How annoying!” Shi Yuntian ruffled his hair. “If there were a way to avoid infection, I could cut down as many zombies as they sent!”
“Boss Shi?!” Lu Shufan suddenly called him.
“What? Are you going to say I have no brain again?”
“No, no!” Lu Shufan hurriedly praised him. “You finally said something useful!”
Shi Yuntian: “…”
If you’re going to praise me for being useful, just praise me properly.
What do you mean by “finally”?
That did not make him happy at all.
“Mm.” Yu Qimiao agreed. “If we find a way to avoid infection, we can clear the main quest just like before.”
“It’s extremely difficult,” Su Qiong told him. “I saw many players begin mutating after merely touching the venom. If they’re directly bitten by a high-level zombie, the mutation progresses extremely quickly. They become complete puppets within two or three hours.”
“Are we supposed to keep hiding forever?” Shi Yuntian was nearly going insane from being restrained.
“I heard from Xi Huaiji that there are still some uninfected people in this world,” Su Qiong said. “Perhaps they’re simply hiding well, or perhaps they know how to become immune to the virus.”
“So we must find the uninfected people somehow.”
“Mm. They should be somewhere inside the fourth street, right?” Yu Qimiao decided. “We can’t sit here waiting for death. We need to infiltrate the fourth street.”
“Can I say something?” Obey Me and Win raised one hand.
Everyone looked at him with expressions that clearly said, Speak quickly.
“Why would they be farther inside than the fourth street?”
“Because Guild Leader Xi Huaiji said so,” Su Qiong answered.
“You misunderstood. I’m not questioning the source.” Obey Me and Win hurriedly explained, “I’m merely curious. You expert players have never hidden your way through an instance like I do, right?”
Everyone looked at one another.
That was true.
Even Moi and Qiyi attacked separately and worked hard to complete their quests.
“Hehe.” Obey Me and Win suddenly laughed, experiencing a strange sense of superiority. “I hide every single time.”
“So?”
“After hiding so often, I’ve gained experience. If I were a survivor, I would definitely hide near the entrance, in the absolute outskirts. The zombies here are predictable and have almost no brains. The farther inside you go, the stronger they become. Why would I hide there?”
“That seems…”
“Rather reasonable.”
Ordinary humans were clearly weaker than zombies.
If they wanted to avoid them, why would they choose to hide where high-level zombies gathered?
“There must be a reason. We need to discover it.”
“The current problem is how to infiltrate the fourth street without becoming infected.”
“I can clear the way,” Moi volunteered. “I’m already infected, so I don’t need to fear being injured by zombies. Let Qiyi remain in the wooden house.”
“I was already planning to leave Qiyi behind. Your condition is too dangerous, and she needs to stay here to preserve her life.” After comforting Moi, Yu Qimiao coldly called, “Obey Me and Win.”
“Here!” Obey Me and Win immediately answered.
“Protect Qiyi properly. Otherwise…”
Obey Me and Win shuddered and hurriedly replied, “Understood! I’ll do everything possible to protect her!”
“As for Moi, you’re too frail to shield all of us. We’ll need another solution.”
“Why don’t you let me try?” Lu Shufan suddenly suggested.
“You?” His companions looked deeply doubtful.
“Don’t look at me with such distrust. I’m still extremely useful! I was the one who handled the Circle Lord fragment last time.”
“Mm. You’re occasionally useful.”
“What do you mean, occasionally? Don’t underestimate me!” Lu Shufan stood heroically. “Today, I’ll show you that overwhelming social confidence can save the world!”
In the next second, he lost his courage.
“Su Qiong, come with me. If I fail, you can still protect me.”
“Hah.”
“Pathetic.”
Su Qiong did not mock Lu Shufan and merely asked what he intended to do.
“In the previous Circle, I discovered that I could communicate with the chaotic fragments. So I thought perhaps I can also communicate with mindless zombies and overwhelm them with my charm,” Lu Shufan said. “Then I’ll make the zombies form a protective circle and clear a path for us. We’ll be able to go anywhere.”
“You? Can you really do it?”
“It should work,” Su Qiong answered. “His social communication ability is an innate talent.”
Shi Yuntian’s eyes widened in disbelief.
After all this time, was he the only person without an innate ability?
Wait.
There was also the catastrophically unlucky ERROR.
Shi Yuntian immediately felt better.
It had to be said that Lu Shufan’s ability was truly remarkable.
Su Qiong could not understand the bizarre zombie language at all, yet the zombies really stopped attacking Lu Shufan.
Instead, they surrounded him with affectionate expressions.
“What did you say to them?”
After witnessing the scene, everyone became extremely curious.
“I said I’m a flawless, incomparably handsome man who loves zombies. If they behave well and win my affection, once I become a zombie, I’ll consider marrying them first.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all!” Lu Shufan answered. “I also emotionally manipulated them, telling them to center their lives around me, protect me, and earn my affection. They aren’t allowed to fight for favor either. Fighting for favor lowers their rank, and zombies with lower ranks are inferior to the others.”
“…”
No one knew how to evaluate such an outrageous maneuver.
“You should start praying that you never truly become a zombie.”
“Otherwise, you’ll have to remain here and maintain an entire harem.”
“Why don’t we simply leave you behind after clearing the Circle? You seem to be enjoying yourself.”
Lu Shufan’s face collapsed.
“Don’t do that! I’m sacrificing myself for everyone. This is only a temporary measure!”
Everyone ignored him.
Lu Shufan continued running his mouth.
“If you abandon me, I’ll tell the zombies that all of you love zombies too and want to establish harems here!”
“What did you say?”
“Shi Yuntian, throw Lu Shufan into the zombie horde.”
“Understood. No problem.”
“Ahhh! Boss Shi, spare me!”
Who could have imagined that zombies had lost their ability to think but retained their hopeless romantic tendencies?
This clearly proved that being obsessed with romance was an incurable terminal disease.
Escorted by the lovestruck zombies, the group smoothly passed through the first two streets without encountering any obstacles.
The only issue was that Lu Shufan’s “zombie harem” continued expanding as he spread his charm.
Only after entering the third street did his harem stop growing.
His seduction had little effect on high-level zombies.
Those zombies possessed greater combat strength and thought only of tearing players apart. They had no interest whatsoever in Lu Shufan’s emotional manipulation.
Clearly, the only cure for romantic obsession was focusing on one’s career.
“We need to move faster,” Su Qiong warned.
No matter how numerous the low-level zombies were, they could not withstand attacks from their higher-level counterparts.
When players attacked zombies, the creatures revived within a second regardless of how many times they were struck.
High-level zombies, however, understood the weaknesses of lower-level ones.
Any low-level zombie they knocked down needed a long time to recover.
Seeing their protective formation shrink, the players simultaneously accelerated and rushed through the third street.
On the fourth street, they found a relatively intact building, entered it, and opened the pink-diamond barrier to keep the zombies outside.
Su Qiong had barely leaned against the door to catch his breath when he triggered a new prompt.
[System: Welcome to the Mild Mutation Zone.]
“Mild?”
“Then what was the area before this?”
For once, the system answered every question and “thoughtfully” provided an explanation.
[System: Zombie Shanhai consists of four regions. The central region containing the Zombie King is the Severe Infection Zone. The two streets nearest to it are also Severe Infection Zones. The following regions are respectively the Moderate Infection Zone and Mild Infection Zone. The area where players initially enter is called the Basic Survival Zone.]
After hearing the explanation, no one knew whether they should praise the system for being humane.
If it had thrown them directly into the Mild Infection Zone, they certainly would not have survived for even three minutes.
“There are already NPCs above Level Two Hundred in the Mild Infection Zone. Isn’t that difficulty unreasonable?”
[Hint: Zombie Shanhai is the only Circle in IN OFF where NPC levels are not determined entirely by the Circle Lord. Therefore, NPC distribution is disorderly and follows no predictable pattern.]
“If the Circle Lord doesn’t determine their levels, what does?”
The system responded with four words—
[No information available.]
Then it stopped answering.
“So a Level Two Hundred NPC appearing in the Mild Infection Zone doesn’t necessarily mean stronger NPCs exist farther inside.”
“That’s good. Otherwise, based on this standard, the Severe Infection Zone might contain Level Four Hundred NPCs.”
“The Circle Lord is only Level Five Hundred. How could a Level Four Hundred NPC appear? That would be ridiculous.”
“If the NPCs aren’t determined by the Circle Lord, what determines them?”
“I think it’s probably the players,” Su Qiong said.
When everyone looked toward him, he explained, “Think about it. The high-level NPCs here used to be players.”
Players possessed levels.
Perhaps after being transformed into zombies, their original levels and abilities remained effective.
After understanding Su Qiong’s meaning, everyone’s expressions became complicated.
“If we had died before, we would’ve become NPCs here too. We might even have ended up fighting one another.”
“There are no ‘ifs.’ We’re all still alive.”
“This house is pretty nice.” Shi Yuntian forcibly interrupted everyone’s gloomy thoughts and wandered around the room.
Before entering the fourth street, they had chosen the building in advance—a small, four-story villa.
The original owner was probably wealthy. The house had beautiful decorations and even included a small attic.
The attic had an inverted triangular structure. Clumsy zombies found it difficult to climb into, so it had never been invaded.
Shi Yuntian opened a faucet and discovered that the house still had running water.
The moment Su Qiong heard the water, he immediately brought over his items and began washing them.
“Look! There’s even a cellar.”
Lu Shufan had frequently lived in villas before and understood their layouts well. He quickly found the cellar.
After entering, he discovered something else.
“There’s food!”
“Let me see.”
Everyone followed him into the cellar and discovered a large amount of fresh food stored there. Meat, eggs, and milk were all available.
Aside from the lack of electricity, the villa was practically an ideal survival environment.
“Shi Yuntian, check whether the kitchen works.”
After inspecting it, Shi Yuntian shouted, “It does! There’s gas!”
“Good.” Yu Qimiao ordered, “We’re trapped here temporarily anyway. Bring some of the food upstairs. We might as well treat it as a vacation.”
“There are zombies everywhere outside, and we’re taking a vacation inside?”
“Why not?”
“Of course we can! If the guild leader says so, then we can!”
Lu Shufan had been tense for far too long and had wanted to enjoy himself for ages.
Besides carrying food upstairs, he found several bottles of alcohol in a cabinet and brought those too.
After spending so long inside the game, encountering such an ordinary, domestic scene made everyone feel as though they had entered a dream.
And an unfamiliar dream at that.
“We have ingredients and a kitchen. The problem is…”
“Who knows how to cook?”
“My younger sister does,” Moi answered.
Unfortunately, Qiyi had remained in the wooden house and had not come with them.
“Yu Qimiao, you must know how!” Shi Yuntian asked roughly.
Everyone simultaneously looked at Yu Qimiao with anticipation.
After all, Yu Qimiao was the group’s male mother. Cooking should have been a basic ability.
“…Have you ever met a company president who personally cooks every day instead of conducting business?” One sentence from Yu Qimiao shattered all their fantasies.
“Then what do we do?”
“Boss An’an, didn’t your base train you for this?”
An’an calmly answered, “Lighting a fire during missions alerts the enemy. We usually eat everything raw. Would you like to try?”
“No!”
Everyone immediately shook their heads.
They finally had the opportunity to hold a party together, yet not one person present could cook.
It seemed their dream of relaxing had already shattered.
While everyone was feeling disappointed, ERROR suddenly asked Su Qiong, “What do you want to eat?”
Su Qiong looked at the enormous pile of ingredients, then at ERROR, and answered honestly, “I don’t know.”
The poor little NPC had barely eaten a few proper meals.
“Then I’ll make whatever I can.” ERROR slowly rolled up his sleeves.
“You?”
“You actually know how to cook?”
As a programmer, shouldn’t ERROR have lived entirely on instant noodles?
His refined face suggested he had never touched household work in his life. No matter how anyone looked at him, he did not belong in a kitchen.
“What’s so surprising?” ERROR took out the cooking utensils, skillfully assigned everyone tasks, and answered, “I could do all this by thirteen.”
“Thirteen? That’s so young.”
“It isn’t.” ERROR answered, “That was the year I began writing code.”
Everyone: “???”
ERROR slowly added, “The code for IF.”
“Fuck!”
“The source of all evil.”
The dignified entrepreneur Yu Qimiao now stood beside ERROR, awkwardly tearing leaves from a cabbage.
While doing so, he quietly tested the waters.
“I have a rather offensive question. May I ask it?”
ERROR glanced sideways at him and calmly gave a number.
“Twenty.”
“How did you know what I wanted to ask?”
“My reading comprehension has always been excellent,” ERROR replied sarcastically.
“Twenty… years old?”
“Yes.”
“You truly are even more… youthful than I imagined. So you’ve been writing the code for IF for seven years?”
“More accurately, I wrote it for only two years. I spent the remaining five improving it.”
—Only to fail repeatedly.
ERROR did not say that part aloud.
“Why did you originally write this code?”
“Guild Leader Yu.” ERROR called him flatly. “Didn’t you say you had only ‘one’ offensive question?”
“…” Yu Qimiao understood.
That question was even more difficult to answer than his age.
“Also.” ERROR gave him another sideways glance. “You’ve removed every edible part. Are you planning to feed us cabbage stems?”
“Uh.” For the first time in his life, Yu Qimiao experienced helplessness.
Although the villa contained food, the variety was limited.
With so many people eating together, ERROR neither had the conditions nor the desire to prepare an imperial banquet.
He found an unexpired packet of hot-pot base in the cupboard, as well as a grill and charcoal.
He ordered everyone to light the fire and decided to prepare both hot pot and barbecue.
Su Qiong had eaten roasted rabbit before, but this was his first time encountering hot pot.
He stared at the bubbling, steaming broth with curiosity written across his eyes.
“Here.” ERROR gave him a small bowl filled with a specially mixed dipping sauce, sat beside him, and cooked a slice of meat for him.
“Delicious!” After finally tasting human food again, Su Qiong’s eyes sparkled. He did not even notice the sauce smeared beside his lips.
“Eat slowly. You can have all of it.”
“I’ve traveled often, so I know where the best hot-pot restaurants are. Once we leave the game, I’ll take you every day.”
“How can you eat hot pot every day?” Yu Qimiao objected.
“Fine. Once every few days.”
“Is it truly that fragrant? Watching you is making me hungry.”
“Hurry and eat. If the zombies break in later, we won’t have another chance.”
“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve forgotten there were zombies outside.”
“I wonder whether zombies taste good in hot pot.”
“…Shut up! Are you a demon?!”
Perhaps the villa was well concealed, because no zombies broke in while they ate.
Only after finishing the meal did Su Qiong glance outside and discover zombies densely surrounding the building.
Yet not one crossed the invisible line near the entrance.
The other players noticed and guessed what was happening.
“Does this house possess some kind of protection?”
“Probably. Normal games usually provide several safe zones for players.”
“Unfortunately, IF isn’t a normal game. The original owner must have done something to prevent the zombies from attacking this house.”
That was the only current possibility.
After eating their fill, they began investigating what secret the villa possessed that made it immune to zombie invasions.
Su Qiong was responsible for inspecting the study.
After searching for a while, he found a strange book inside the safe:
Magic for Beginners.
“Look! There’s information about zombies inside!”
“Using magic against zombies. How scientific.”
Everyone wanted to complain, yet still gathered around and read the book Su Qiong had discovered.
The book was titled Magic for Beginners, but it did not contain any magical tutorials.
Instead, it revealed an entirely new worldview.
This world contained a strange magical system, and everyone could use magic.
People could perform unbelievable feats with it, such as spraying water and fire or leaping across rooftops and walls.
Their magic was also divided into countless branches.
Some systems had been passed down for many years, continually developing into new forms throughout their inheritance.
Then, at some unknown point, the various forms of magic began conflicting with one another.
Their theories also became increasingly opposed.
Everyone believed the magic they followed was the most orthodox and powerful.
Later, during a war that lasted for several years, every magical system destroyed itself along with its rivals.
The conflict also gave birth to a terrifying monster:
The Zombie King.
The Zombie King hated magic.
It therefore created countless puppets and ordered them to transform every human who used magic into a zombie.
The more zombies a puppet created, the higher its level became.
Gradually, transforming the original inhabitants of this world could no longer satisfy the high-level puppets.
They began traveling through other worlds, bringing corpses back to Zombie Shanhai and converting them into zombies to increase their abilities.
At the very end of Magic for Beginners was a familiar sentence.
Only magic can defeat magic.
“What does that mean?” Shi Yuntian looked completely confused.
“It means the Zombie King can be considered a collection of failed forms of magic. Ordinary methods are nowhere near enough to defeat it.”
“So we must use magic? Do we need to learn it?”
“I believe the abilities and items you already possess are forms of magic,” ERROR said, taking the book and flipping through it again. “The most useful clue isn’t at the end. It’s here.”
He pointed toward a line in the book.
Using the method told to me by the Zombie King’s attendant truly made me immune to the venom.
Only then did Su Qiong notice the passage.
“The Zombie King’s attendant? It should be one of the great puppets created by the Zombie King. Why would it tell humans how to become immune to the venom?”
“Who knows? We’ll discover the answer only after finding it.”
ERROR closed the book and placed one hand on the doorknob.
“Are you ready?”
Everyone entered a combat stance. Su Qiong took out his wand and answered, “Ready!”
ERROR applied slight pressure and opened the door.
He did not immediately step outside.
Instead, he stood at the entrance and waited for several minutes.
The moment the zombies saw them, they went berserk, howling and trying to attack, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier.
“It’s roughly here. Something truly exists.” ERROR carefully examined the boundary but could not understand it. “What exactly is it?”
“Could it be a utility pole? The lawn?” Shi Yuntian proposed wildly. “Why don’t we carry the villa with us from now on?”
“Boss Shi, how many times have I told you that you don’t need to use your brain?”
“Tch.” Shi Yuntian looked disdainful. “You praised me for being useful earlier, and now you’ve already turned against me.”
Su Qiong followed behind ERROR and carefully examined the dividing line.
He extended a pale hand and touched it.
Then—
“Ah!” Su Qiong screamed.
“What happened? Did a zombie bite Little Pastry?”
“Help! Can this venom infect NPCs too?”
