Chapter 264: City of the Dead (6)

Chapter 264: City of the Undead (Part Six)

Slap—

Raindrops shattered against the reinforced glass of the flying car, splintering instantly like a skull thrown from a high-rise.

Lin Xiaofeng was startled, her heart pounding abnormally fast. It had been a sunny day just moments ago, with the sun blazing in the sky. How could it start raining so suddenly?

Could the weather in this polluted area change at will?

Suddenly, Lin Xiaofeng remembered that before they set off, the car radio had reported severe pollution and heavy rain in the northern region. They had waited for a long time before departing.

Had the rain never stopped? Was the sunny day just an anomaly? The windshield wipers started automatically, swinging back and forth like a hypnotist's pocket watch.

Lin Xiaofeng couldn't distinguish between reality and illusion anymore. Why did she feel everything was fake? Why did she think she was dreaming, and upon waking up, she would find herself still in the car, never having left the wall?

Dark clouds rolled in, and the rain grew heavier, pattering loudly on the car body, sounding like a hand pounding on the vehicle.

Open the door, open the door.

The rain itself didn't speak, but Lin Xiaofeng had a strange feeling that someone was frantically smashing the car.

In such a situation, Lin Xiaofeng didn't dare to look away, keeping her eyes fixed on the rearview mirror, afraid that Bai Cheng would devour her if she blinked.

What should she do now? Lin Xiaofeng's Psychic abilities were invisibility and super strength. In the confined space, she could only escape from the driver's seat to the passenger seat, leaving traces wherever she went, making it easy for Bai Cheng to grab her ankle.

And her super strength? Lin Xiaofeng had heard that Bai Cheng lived outside the wall all year round, and she didn't think she could match Bai Cheng's strength.

She was in a state of extreme tension. Over the past six months, besides learning to drive, Zhu Ning had given her emergency training to improve her reactions in extreme environments.

But the contaminated zones Zhu Ning took Lin Xiaofeng into were all within controllable limits, unlike the chaos outside the wall.

The rain grew heavier, like a drunken man pounding on a door late at night, the sound changing from a pattering to a pounding.

Lin Xiaofeng didn't dare to breathe loudly, as Zhu Ning had taught her.

"What should you do in this situation?" Zhu Ning asked.

At the time, Lin Xiaofeng was in her prime, feeling invincible. She cautiously replied, "Try something?"

"Try what? Of course, run," Zhu Ning said seriously. "Next, I'll teach you how to escape smoothly."

Zhu Ning taught Lin Xiaofeng various escape techniques, some of which sounded less than honorable, even a bit sleazy, but Lin Xiaofeng was grateful that she remembered the essence of escaping: be quick, unexpected, and choose a way that wouldn't be easily followed.

Lin Xiaofeng was in the driver's seat. By pressing a button to activate the escape sequence, the entire cockpit would eject, immediately leaving Bai Cheng's sight. But the problem was that Lin Xiaofeng would be launched onto the ground, facing the zombies directly.

Zhu Ning and Pei Shu had disappeared for a long time, and their absence suggested that the world outside was dangerous, even trapping Zhu Ning and Pei Shu.

After sorting her thoughts, it now came down to a simple choice: was Bai Cheng more terrifying, or the outside world?

Lin Xiaofeng's body was trembling, the red button right in front of her, just a reach away. She had already raised her hand.

"It's raining."

Bai Cheng's mechanical voice suddenly sounded from the back seat, toneless and cold like a corpse.

Lin Xiaofeng was startled, fearing that Bai Cheng's next words would be, "Rainy days are perfect for eating children."

Lin Xiaofeng stiffened, not daring to move, still undecided about her choice.

Rip—

Such a subtle sound was enough to make Lin Xiaofeng pale with fear. She was like a bird frightened by an arrow, ready to make irrational decisions at the slightest provocation.

In the rearview mirror, Bai Cheng pulled the zipper of the body bag, the movement graceful, like a woman gently opening her makeup bag and carefully applying makeup in front of a mirror.

The body bag opened, but due to the angle, Lin Xiaofeng couldn't see what was inside, only the opening.

Bai Cheng's hand reached in, as if embracing a lover from a grave, or elegantly peeling a ripe peach, lifting the skin gently.

Lin Xiaofeng's pupils contracted. The first thing she saw was a stark contrast of colors: the black body bag and a ghastly white face. Bai Cheng held a human head, her left hand supporting the cheek, her right hand lifting the chin.

This time, Lin Xiaofeng saw clearly. It was a woman's head, her face ashen, black eyes staring straight ahead. It seemed to see the invisible Lin Xiaofeng, as the eyes turned to the rearview mirror, locking gazes with her.

Lin Xiaofeng's body went numb. That was Bai Cheng, Bai Cheng had pulled out another Bai Cheng from the body bag! The Bai Cheng in the bag was looking at her!

...

Someone was watching her?

Zhu Ning suddenly had this premonition, without any apparent reason. She quickly looked up, toward the classroom door, which had opened, but no one stood there watching.

Due to the limited light, the area behind the door was a chaotic darkness, and Zhu Ning couldn't see anything in the dark.

Was the door open just now? Zhu Ning frowned, completely forgetting.

Zhu Ning stood up to check the door, but as she rose, it felt like leaves had fallen on her body, and with the motion of standing, the leaves drifted to the ground, along with her memories.

She looked at the crumpled papers on the floor. What was she supposed to do again?

Like a mountain collapsing, starting with a small stone rolling down, the speed of memory loss only increased.

Zhu Ning paused silently, her last clear memory being the fight against the zombies. She had detonated a bomb, counting down coldly: five, four, three, two, one. Then a loud explosion, the last scene in her mind.

Zhu Ning thought the bomb would blow her up too, taking the zombies with her.

So where was she now? Had she taken refuge in a school?

Zhu Ning unfolded a piece of paper, which read that this was the zombie world. Why was it still the zombie world? Zhu Ning felt a bit disappointed, thinking that when she detonated the bomb, she wanted to destroy everything, to live a carefree life.

Unfortunately, even being a lazybones requires some clarity—what kind of lazybones is she aiming to be? She should at least find a safe spot before lying down.

First question, why is she dressed like this? All in black, looking like a motorcycle robber, is it to avoid being bitten by zombies?

This gear is really good; it feels incredibly sturdy, probably impervious to regular bullets, and even has some resistance to explosions. Zombies definitely can't bite through it; isn't this invincible?

Zhu Ning touched the gun and realized she had quite a bit of equipment. The gun looked very high-tech, with one of them having no bullets, perhaps using air rounds?

How did the world of zombies evolve so much technology after she woke up? With such advanced gear, humans shouldn't fear zombies at all; wouldn't they reclaim human bases in no time?

With a laid-back attitude, Zhu Ning began exploring the world. There were papers scattered on the ground, surely containing information. When she unfolded another piece of paper, her body stiffened. It read, "You are looking for Zhu Yao."

Zhu Ning stared at this sentence for a long time. Wasn't her mother dead? What does this mean?

The third note: "Find the black flying car, find your companions, and leave immediately."

The fourth note: "Guess the location of the flying car."

Attached to this note was a simple map, highlighting key buildings, apparently a rooftop.

The fifth note: "Don't worry about lost memories; they might just be contaminated, but if completely contaminated, you will turn into a zombie."

The sixth note: "Logic doesn't apply here, puzzles have no answers, chaos reigns beyond the walls, don't try to challenge it."

The seventh note: "Survive, you must kill Prometheus, find Zhu Yao."

The eighth note: "Run, only run..."

As each note was unfolded, Zhu Ning understood some but not most, as if reading someone else's diary.

What's this about inside and outside the walls? Is it the wall of the survivor base? Many names appeared, so she must have amnesia?

What kind of world is this?

Boom—

A thunderclap exploded outside the window, followed by a sudden downpour. Zhu Ning turned around, her black helmet illuminated by lightning.

She felt like an abandoned child, the only one left in this world, where memories slipped through her fingers without her noticing.

In the abandoned classroom, Zhu Ning stood between desks, as if an invisible vortex opened behind her, leaving her helpless, unable to find logic, like a traveler sinking into a swamp.

After standing for a long time, Zhu Ning suddenly threw a small knife, its blade gleaming in the stormy weather.

Then she aimed the knife at her own face, pressing hard, the blade making a harsh scraping sound as it moved, each cut forceful, almost mad.

Moments later, Zhu Ning's helmet was covered with dense, tiny letters.

She put away the knife, grabbed the notes, and stuffed them into her pocket like a binge eater devouring meat.

Zhu Ning lifted her eyes, looking through the scratches at the window. She saw the prototype of the sketch from the fourth note, right on the rooftop of the building opposite her, where a lush tree grew, and a green water tank could be seen from afar.

Zhu Ning took a deep breath, as if lining up for a sprint, standing at a new starting line.

This is the arena, the classroom is the starting line, there's no starter's pistol, so she had to take off early.

She decisively opened the classroom door and rushed out.

Zhu Ning ran quickly, just reaching the stairs when she was met by a wave of zombies. They were similar to the evolved zombies in her world, with enhanced running and jumping abilities, swarming like insects.

Zhu Ning threw a bomb down, which exploded with a bang, showing that the technology in this world was more advanced than hers.

Zhu Ning leaped from the second-floor window, shattering the glass, with zombies following her jump. She rolled on the ground and scrambled to her feet.

Good news, her body seemed to be enhanced, almost like a super soldier.

Without her memory, Zhu Ning was surprisingly optimistic, feeling like she had hit the jackpot, with advanced weapons, a high-quality body, everything she needed.

The zombies soon caught up, but Zhu Ning ran faster, leading them like a sheepdog guiding a flock of dazed lambs.

Unfortunately, the zombies weren't just behind her; some were also ahead. Just as Zhu Ning saw the entrance to the laboratory building, a figure suddenly dashed out from beside the glass door.

Zhu Ning collided with him head-on, her movements unaltered, instinctively reacting without hesitation. Zombies couldn't penetrate her protective suit physically; biting her arm was like biting steel. Zhu Ning aimed her gun at his forehead and fired three shots, his head exploding, reminiscent of the close-up shots directors love in splatter films, with brain fragments scattering, his mind empty.

Zhu Ning didn't have time to wonder why the zombie's head was empty; her mind was almost as empty.

Rushing into the laboratory building, Zhu Ning didn't stop moving, but her mind did.

What was she trying to do just now?

This thought kept repeating in her mind, strangely, each time she thought it, she felt it was the first time.

Zhu Ning soon found the answer; her helmet was covered with dense, tiny letters, like chat messages in a live stream, visible as soon as she opened her eyes.

During her last bout of amnesia in the classroom, she hadn't left much information, only summarizing and consolidating the important points, etching them onto her helmet in reverse, the writing messy, understandable only to Zhu Ning.

But having any words was better than nothing. Her previous self, who had experienced amnesia, had summarized the experience, and what Zhu Ning needed wasn't more information but someone telling her what to do.

So this time, there were only steps.

First, find the black car.

Oh, she needed to find a black car on the rooftop of this laboratory building, eight floors high, which felt like a mountain to Zhu Ning.

Zhu Ning climbed the stairs, intending to rush straight to the rooftop, but zombies were unpredictable, and you never knew where the hidden ones would appear.

Just as Zhu Ning reached the third floor, she was immediately surrounded, with zombies on all sides. Her movements were smooth, almost without thought, spotting a broken vent in the ceiling 500 meters away.

Zhu Ning used heavy weaponry to suppress with firepower, flesh and blood exploding in a series of pops, like fireworks at a wedding.

Seizing a momentary gap, she leaped upward. Wow, she really jumped high this time; had she been subjected to some mad scientist's human experimentation?

Zhu Ning clung to the vent opening with one hand and hoisted herself up.

She didn't forget that the zombies here could jump high. Without pausing for breath, she immediately tossed a bomb down. With a boom, the explosion left the zombies unable to see Zhu Ning’s figure. The vent ducts echoed as she moved forward inside.

The zombies below could hear the sounds and followed her direction, jumping straight up without any agility or the ability to crawl.

Trash, idiots, Zhu Ning cursed the zombies for the 108th time, not as agile as me, huh?

The metal of the vent ducts was pounded by the zombies, dents appearing one after another, the structure swaying precariously as if it might collapse at any moment.

But Zhu Ning didn’t care; if worst came to worst, she’d just blow them up again and join them in the afterlife. Survival in the zombie world required the readiness to die at any second.

After cursing to her heart's content, Zhu Ning paused, asking herself for the thousandth time, what was she trying to do again?

Crawling through the narrow vent duct, she found her answer immediately; it was written on her helmet.

She was Zhu Ning, her mother was Zhu Yao, and she needed to find the black car to leave this hellhole.