Chapter 41: The Never-Sleeping Imperial City 3

Xia Qi and the red-haired woman each took on side quests, and the others began searching the streets as well.

Grandma Meng tugged at Xia Qi's sleeve, lifting her chubby face to affectionately call him, "Baby Qi."

Xia Qi: "…"

Being an old granddaughter was already terrifying enough; what was with this "Baby Qi"?

Watching the red-haired woman being pulled away by a little girl zombie, Xia Qi turned back to the group and said, "Let's meet up in an hour. Everyone, find your own way out."

"Sure thing."

All his teammates were experienced players. Now that the game had started, they were ready to get to work.

Xia Qi didn't hold Grandma Meng's hand but followed her slowly.

Grandma Meng's hair was entirely white, and she was slightly balding on top. Her hair on the sides was slightly curled, making her head look like a white mushroom when viewed from above.

She wore a green cotton jacket embroidered with jasmine flowers, brown old-style cotton pants, and black cloth shoes. She exuded the simplicity of a working-class person.

Because she was somewhat overweight, she walked very slowly, swaying from side to side. Seeing her struggle with the basket, Xia Qi awkwardly said, "Gr…Grandma, let me carry the basket for you."

For some reason, the word "Grandma" just slipped out.

After saying it, he felt something was off. Wasn't he supposed to be the old lady's granddaughter? Why was he calling her "Grandma"?

However, Grandma Meng, whom Xia Qi called "Grandma," didn't find it strange. She slowly walked while happily saying, "It's rare for my Baby Qi to come back. Tonight, Grandma will make you some meat gaga."

Hearing the words "meat gaga," Xia Qi felt a bit uneasy, hoping it wasn't some strange meat…

They walked through bustling streets and alleys, with Xia Qi observing the zombies passing by. When they reached an alley with a 1920s aesthetic, he realized this wasn't entirely an ancient world. Many people wore Zhongshan suits and schoolgirl uniforms, and even more bizarrely, a few zombies in suits emerged from the neighboring alley.

This Nightless City was too peculiar.

Xia Qi, full of questions, followed Grandma Meng to a secluded, narrow courtyard.

The courtyard was small, with walls painted a ghastly white, looking like paper. The rough green tiles on top shimmered with a golden glow, making the entire place resemble a paper house burned for the dead rather than a real-world building.

Inside the courtyard were three poorly constructed, low-lying houses. After entering, Xia Qi noticed dust everywhere.

Grandma Meng somehow produced two wooden stools and called out, "Baby Qi, come learn how to pick vegetables with Grandma."

Xia Qi frowned, sat down on the stool, and couldn't help asking, "Grandma, why do I need to learn how to pick vegetables?"

"You're not getting any younger. If you can't cook, you won't find a husband," Grandma Meng worried about Xia Qi's future.

Xia Qi: "…"

As she spoke, Grandma Meng lifted the cloth covering the basket, and Xia Qi quickly leaned over to look inside.

There were no vegetables; the basket was empty, not even a single strand. Xia Qi frowned, thinking that earlier, when he carried the basket, it felt heavy, unlike an empty one.

Grandma Meng, oblivious to his puzzled expression, reached into the basket and pulled out a handful of air, then began picking vegetables in front of him.

Xia Qi was confused and hesitantly asked, "Grandma, how…how do you pick these vegetables?"

Grandma Meng's eyes were serious as her rough hands moved skillfully. She demonstrated while explaining, "Picking vegetables is an art. First, you trim the ends, then keep the tender sprouts…try it yourself."

After watching Grandma Meng's series of air-picking operations, Xia Qi tried reaching into the basket.

Sure enough, it was still empty, containing nothing.

Grandma Meng looked at him expectantly, like encouraging a toddler to walk, urging, "Baby Qi, take them out."

"…Okay." Xia Qi grabbed the air in the basket and obediently pulled out a "vegetable," then mimicked Grandma Meng's actions, seriously "picking" the vegetable.

"My Baby Qi is so smart, learning everything so fast," Grandma Meng smiled and praised him after he "picked" a leaf.

"Ding! Side quest progress +10%! Total side quest progress: 10%."

Xia Qi frowned; the side quest progress had increased.

Could it be that doing what Grandma Meng asked would increase the progress?

Just as Xia Qi was pondering, a man's shrill scream echoed from afar.

Recognizing the familiar scream, Xia Qi immediately stood up from his chair.

Seeing that Xia Qi couldn't sit still after picking one vegetable, Grandma Meng shook her head and laughed, "Can't even sit still after a little work? You naughty child. Fine, go play with them, but remember to come home for dinner."

Xia Qi didn't have time to pay attention to Grandma Meng, bid her farewell, and rushed out.

The evil man's scream seemed close by. As soon as Xia Qi stepped outside, he heard another terrified scream.

He hurried toward the source of the sound, only to bump into the red-haired woman around the corner.

After exchanging glances, they continued forward without a word.

"Ahhh! Help!"

In moments, they arrived at a dark street corner.

At that moment, the evil man, covered in blood, rushed out from the corner. Xia Qi paused, examining him closely.

The evil man was in tatters, covered in bloodstains. A deep scratch marred his left cheek, bleeding profusely, staining his clothes red.

Seeing Xia Qi and the red-haired woman, he ran towards them, shouting, "Run! The zombies are killing people!"

The red-haired woman grabbed the evil man's wrist and scoffed, "Why run? You're an advanced player. Haven't you seen zombies before?"

"No, no," the sinister man shook his wrist, which was being held, but he didn't expect the red-haired woman to have such incredible strength. He couldn't break free from her iron grip.

Seeing this, the sinister man trembled in fear and gasped for breath as he pleaded, "It's not an ordinary zombie, please let me go..."

Before the red-haired woman could continue questioning him, a roar like that of a wild beast suddenly echoed from nearby.

"Roar—"

Xia Qi and the red-haired woman turned their heads together, only to see a female zombie standing at the corner of the street. She was 2.5 meters tall, with a face of blueish-purple, and eyes as black as ink. Seeing the sinister man standing nearby, she bared her fangs through her crimson lips and roared at him, "Li Ming, how could you cheat on me? How can you face our child?"

Xia Qi and the red-haired woman looked back at Li Ming and asked, "When did you have a child?"

How long had they been in Nightless City? Could Li Ming have already fathered a child?

"No, it's not like that," Li Ming burst into tears, "I have nothing to do with this. I just entered her house and glanced at the female zombie next door, and she accused me of cheating. Waaah..."

"I'll kill you, you heartless man!" The female zombie took a step forward, and a loud thud echoed as her foot left a deep imprint in the ground.

The red-haired woman looked at Li Ming's pitiful state and sneered, "Serves you right for looking around."

When Li Ming first came out of the coffin, his gaze toward her was off, and the red-haired woman felt he brought this upon himself.

Then, she added another jab, "In the beginner's scenario, you should be used to running away by now. It's just one zombie chasing you, what's there to be afraid of?"

"No, it's worse than that!" Li Ming was led astray by the red-haired woman's words. He grabbed her hand and wailed as he explained.

The female zombie stomped towards them with loud thuds, each step resonating with anger. She demanded, "Li Ming, how can you face me? How can you face our child?!"

As she spoke, she suddenly reached into her belly with a tearing sound, and pulled out a bloody infant. Then, she threw the infant to the ground.

Xia Qi and the red-haired woman were stunned.

With a sickening slap, the infant hit the ground and let out a piercing cry. However, the female zombie ignored it and continued to reach into her belly, pulling out more and more bloody infants.

Her belly seemed bottomless, and by the time she reached them, nearly seven bloody infants lay scattered on the ground.

These infants were all underdeveloped, looking like five or six-month-old babies. Their faces were wrinkled like rotten wood, and their thin arms resembled twigs. Long umbilical cords protruded from their bellies as they crawled, leaving trails of blood behind.

"Li Ming! Look at your children!" The female zombie stood before Li Ming, tears of blood streaming down her face.

At that moment, all the infants lifted their heads, their dark eyes glaring viciously at Li Ming.

With a giggle, the infants grinned, revealing sharp teeth.

Then, all seven of them shouted in unison, "Daddy!"

"Ahhh!" Li Ming screamed like a terrified chicken, completely breaking down. He shook off the red-haired woman's hand and ran out of the street like a mad dog.

After Li Ming fled, the female zombie chased after him with her brood, like a whirlwind.

The red-haired woman crossed her arms and glanced sideways at Xia Qi, "Shall we check elsewhere?"

Xia Qi nodded, "Sure."

As Xia Qi and the red-haired woman walked out of the street, they saw another teammate emerge from a courtyard.

This teammate had always been quiet, barely noticeable among the group. Since entering the game, he hadn't spoken a single word.

Due to his unusually calm demeanor, Xia Qi had been keeping an eye on him.

He was a man in his fifties, with an ordinary appearance. Dressed in a traditional Chinese suit and wearing round glasses, he looked like a teacher.

However, compared to his initial composure, he now had beads of sweat on his forehead and a ghostly pale complexion.

As Xia Qi and the red-haired woman approached him, the old man suddenly stopped and spoke to a white shadow inside the door, "Y-You don't need to see me off."

"Teacher, let me see you off," a girl's clear laughter rang out. Her voice was so distinct that Xia Qi immediately recognized her.

The old man pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, continuing to refuse, "You're a young lady; don't run around."

"Teacher, no," the girl giggled, her voice carrying the unique charm of a young girl.

Unable to contain himself, Xia Qi rushed towards the old man. In his shocked gaze, Xia Qi pushed the door open forcefully.

"Creak—"

The door swung open, and a small scream came from the girl behind it.

She wore a JK uniform, with two ponytails on either side of her head. This was the same teammate Xia Qi had encountered in the Rose Earl scenario—the sister who had her head chopped off.

Perhaps due to the decapitation, a deep red scar ran across her neck, crudely stitched together, making her head seem precarious, as if it might fall off at any moment.

In Xia Qi's shocked gaze, the sister asked blankly, "W-Who are you?"