Chapter 49: Zombie Apocalypse (VII)

Previous Chapter ∇ Table of Content ∇ Next Chapter

Chapter 49: Zombie Apocalypse (VII)

“Get out of the car.” Zhang Yang stared at the enormous creature blocking the road, a rare trace of seriousness crossing his face. Its rough, gray hide looked almost like a towering wall. Only upon closer inspection could one tell it was actually an elephant. He couldn’t tell whether it had originally been an African or an Asian elephant, but either way, it was undoubtedly far more difficult to deal with than an ordinary zombie.

Yue Yingying hurriedly climbed out of the car. She was certain this wasn’t the zombie elephant from the novel. For one thing, this elephant’s body was still largely intact, unlike the one in the story, whose flesh had rotted away until little more than a skeleton remained. More importantly, this one was noticeably larger.

Without a sound, she quietly slipped behind the protagonist, her expression turning grim. In the novel, Zhang Yang had only barely managed to defeat the zombie elephant after advancing his ability to Level 5. Right now, his ability was at most around Level 3. Running into a zombie elephant at this point… She could only hope this one’s level wasn’t very high. But judging by its enormous size, that seemed highly unlikely.

“It looks like we’re not far from the zoo.” Miao Lichen stepped out of the car and glanced at the elephant before them. Its blood-red eyes clearly marked it as one of the undead. Its enormous body was nearly the size of a building, and its hide had grown even rougher, making it look like a towering wall at first glance. The moment the four of them got out of the car, the elephant brought one massive foot down and flattened the car into scrap metal and the pungent smell of gasoline quickly spread through the air..

“We’re not just close…” Yue Yingying muttered, her fingers trembling slightly. “We’re practically next door. Battles like Ultraman fighting giant monsters belonged on TV. Someone like her, with absolutely zero offensive power, had no business facing something this terrifying. It completely defied the natural order of things. More importantly… Had she just seen a zombie tiger? Don’t tell her they’d somehow wandered straight into the entire zombie zoo!

As Miao Lichen took a step forward, Yue Yingying instinctively grabbed his arm. The delicate professor should stay safely in the back. ‘Professor, you’re a scientist—you specialize in research, not fighting! This elephant should be left to the protagonist over there!’

Miao Lichen met her gaze, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile. Ignoring the concern in her eyes, he raised a hand as frigid air gathered around his fingertips. In the next instant, an ice arrow condensed into existence and shot toward the zombie elephant.

Yue Yingying had been about to stop him, but the sharp look Zhang Yang shot her made her swallow the words back down. Her eyes followed the ice arrow as it struck the zombie elephant squarely in the eye. Although it sank deep into the socket, it melted away before it could pierce the creature’s skull. She couldn’t hide her astonishment. In the novel, the professor had indeed been incredibly powerful—but his strength came from his scientific achievements. When it came to direct combat, he was never supposed to steal the protagonist’s spotlight. So why did his ability seem so powerful now?

One ice arrow wasn’t enough to seriously injure the zombie elephant. No one knew exactly how zombies perceived the world around them, but one thing was certain—they definitely didn’t rely on their eyes. Even though one of its enormous eyeballs had dissolved into a stream of putrid sludge, it fought as fiercely as ever. If anything, it became even more enraged. Its pillar-like legs thundered toward Miao Lichen, each step shaking the ground and bringing several nearby buildings crashing down.

Zhang Yang’s expression darkened. He was certain the elephant hadn’t been there just moments ago. There was no way a creature that massive could simply appear out of nowhere. The only plausible explanation was that it had only just undergone zombification.

Tightening his grip on the machete in his hand, he darted toward the elephant. Using one of its legs as a pillar, he swiftly climbed upward before silently landing atop its head.

Of course, Zhang Yang was only able to do so because Miao Lichen had been constantly drawing the zombie elephant’s attention with his ice arrows. Holding Miao Nianling in one arm, Miao Lichen steadily retreated. However, he was clearly no match for the zombie elephant in terms of speed. With its massive body, a single stride covered the distance of several of theirs. That was precisely why they had chosen to fight instead of flee. Turning their backs on a monster of that size would be no different from throwing their lives away.

The zombie elephant’s head swayed back and forth, following the direction of the ice arrows. Foul, rotten blood streamed down its long trunk. Without hesitation, Zhang Yang drove his machete deep into its eye, which had already been severely wounded by Miao Lichen’s ice arrows. More blood poured out, and the blade became lodged in its flesh, leaving him unable to pull it free.

“Be careful,” Miao Lichen warned Zhang Yang in a low voice, who was still perched atop the elephant. Just as he was about to use his ability again, Miao Nianling tugged at his sleeve. He immediately covered her increasingly red eyes with his hand, his voice taking on a deeper tone. “Be good, baby. Don’t make trouble, alright?”

“Papa…” Miao Nianling murmured, tightly clutching Miao Lichen’s hand. Although her vision was blocked, she showed no signs of impatience or anxiety. “Ling’er doesn’t like her.”

“Mm, papa knows.” Miao Lichen gently stroked her hair, his fingers brushing through the strands. “But she’s still useful to papa, so let’s leave her alone for now, okay?”

Miao Nianling seemed to consider his words for a long while before finally nodding. She obediently leaned against him. “Ling’er will listen to papa.”

“What’s wrong with the little one? Is she alright?” Yue Yingying, who had been somewhat anxious moments ago, suddenly became calm and composed. She looked toward Miao Nianling with all the friendliness she could possibly show. How could she have forgotten about this powerhouse? As long as this little girl was here, everything would be fine. At this point, this little girl’s combat ability was absolutely the strongest in the world.

Miao Nianling pulled down the hand Miao Lichen had been using to cover her eyes. Puffing out her cheeks, she glared at Yue Yingying. “I won’t get hurt. I won’t make papa worry.”

“…” An arrogant little cutie was simply adorable. Thinking about Miao Nianling’s terrifying combat strength, Yue Yingying silently withdrew the hand she had wanted to place on the little girl’s head. Her once-prized healing ability suddenly felt somewhat unsatisfying. Only being able to passively heal people was so weak. Powerful offensive abilities were clearly much cooler. But… her character setting was supposed to be that of a saint!

Zhang Yang paid no attention to what was happening behind him. His entire focus remained on the enormous zombie elephant beneath him. He was certain of one thing: the zombie elephant had lost its strength in an instant. Its skin, which had been as tough as a city wall just moments ago, had suddenly become soft and vulnerable.

With the danger it originally posed gone, Zhang Yang reached into his jade pendant space and pulled out a sword. Without hesitation, he drove it into the elephant’s brain. With a deafening crash, the massive body collapsed to the ground. Zhang Yang frowned slightly and glanced at his palm. His strength had not changed at all. This elephant… was strange.

“Huh? It’s already over?” Yue Yingying stared blankly at Zhang Yang as he walked back. Weren’t the two of them completely helpless against it just moments ago? Why had the elephant suddenly been killed in one move? Or had she been too busy admiring the adorable little cutie and missed another one of the protagonist’s sudden power bursts?

‘OTZ… What a pity.’

“There’s something strange about this place. We need to leave quickly.” Zhang Yang ignored Yue Yingying and grabbed Miao Lichen’s arm, pulling him away.

Seeing the direction he was heading, Yue Yingying’s voice became anxious. “Wait! Don’t go that way!” The tiger she had just seen had appeared from there.

Before anyone could react, a massive tiger suddenly lunged toward them. Its violent appearance made it seem as if it would never stop until it reached its goal. Zhang Yang raised his sword and blocked the attack. However, the tiger clearly had no intention of giving up so easily. It shook the fur on its face and glanced disdainfully at the fallen elephant beside it, as though it looked down on the elephant’s earlier performance. The expression in its eyes was far too vivid. It didn’t look like a mindless zombie at all.

“An evolved zombie.” Yue Yingying swallowed nervously. Following the protagonist really did mean there was never a shortage of excitement. She had only been in the apocalypse for a little over ten days, yet she had already encountered an evolved zombie. But if the excitement involved risking her life, she really didn’t want any part of it!

Before she could finish speaking, the tiger glanced at her with obvious disdain. It was as if, in its eyes, she wasn’t delicious prey, but merely a lower-level creature. Yue Yingying’s body was clearly that of a pure human, yet it showed no desire to eat her. Instead, its gaze toward Miao Nianling was astonishingly intense. So much so that it completely ignored Zhang Yang’s blade and charged directly toward Miao Lichen and Miao Nianling.

Miao Lichen instinctively moved to shield Miao Nianling. A sudden pain erupted across his back, causing him to frown. Lovely had said it wouldn’t assist him with his missions anymore, but it wouldn’t even help block pain? Although this level of stinging sensation was nothing to him, he definitely did not have masochist tendencies.

“Papa!” Miao Nianling seemed to smell the blood and she struggled free from Miao Lichen’s arms. Her small body should have appeared harmless, yet an unmistakable sense of danger radiated from her.

‘What an unpleasant creature. Since it had hurt papa… There is no need for it to continue evolving.’

Her pale fingers merely extended slightly toward the tiger. The mighty beast that had looked so arrogant moments ago instantly collapsed into a pile of rotten flesh. This was the fate of zombie creatures once their power was completely erased.

After finishing everything, Miao Nianling looked at the wound on Miao Lichen’s back. A flash of red passed through her eyes and her normally expressionless little face became even colder.

“Don’t worry, professor. I can heal you.” Yue Yingying hurried over, wanting to heal Miao Lichen. However, Miao Nianling immediately blocked her.

“Ling’er, don’t be like this.” Zhang Yang’s voice carried a hint of reprimand as he looked at the wound that had already begun turning dark purple. The strange, unfamiliar ache rising in his chest made him feel restless.

“Ling’er, move aside.” Miao Lichen gently pulled Miao Nianling’s hand closer and enclosed her small hand within his own. Then he smiled at Yue Yingying. “Sorry to trouble you.”

“No need. My ability exists for the purpose of healing people.” Yue Yingying’s heart began racing, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

‘Oh my god, professor! Seduction is absolutely against the rules!’ Her target was the protagonist, not the professor! She must be firm! She absolutely had to stay firm!

Miao Lichen narrowed his eyes slightly. He could feel the tingling sensation around his wound, as well as the increasingly peaceful state of the ability inside his body. From the very first day he obtained his ability, he had understood one thing: this power was violent. Yet despite its violence, it would never harm his body. This soothing force could calm his ability, but it would also prevent him from advancing any further.

This was precisely why Miao Nianling disliked Yue Yingying so much. Miao Nianling’s existence represented evolution. Yue Yingying’s ability represented the complete opposite. Those healed by her would indeed never become infected by the zombie virus; they might even become permanently immune. But at the same time, they would also lose the chance to awaken an ability or advance their existing one forever. Whether that was kindness or cruelty, was truly difficult to determine.

Previous Chapter ∇ Table of Content ∇ Next Chapter