Tick-tock.
Bloodstains.
Chu Muge's face remained calm as she used every ounce of her strength to move toward the door of the emergency exit that led to the basement level.
She had no idea what might be inside the basement level. If she was lucky, she might see whatever was inside fighting the monsters outside. If she was unlucky, she might be attacked by something else the moment she entered, meeting her end right there.
She exhaled, her legs beginning to tense.
To be honest, she thought the latter was more likely.
Every monster had a strong territorial instinct, and she, being a human, was definitely a thorn in their side, a piece of meat they wanted to tear apart. She could only hope that she might find a way out of this desperate situation.
She had no other choice. The monster relentlessly pursuing her would catch up sooner or later. She might as well take a gamble and see if a miracle would happen.
Roaring sounds.
She dodged the webbing shot at her by turning her head, and just as it swung its claws, Chu Muge kicked forward. She ran quickly darting into the basement level.
The basement was covered with writhing, blood-red flesh.
Stepping on the soft flesh, Chu Muge was almost too shocked to keep her composure.
She knew what this was.
This was a contaminated zone.
.In the early days of the apocalypse, there was actually a contaminated zone here?!
Chu Muge↓
--／l、-（?、。７？---l、~ヽ---じしf_,)ノ
Her thoughts were interrupted by the gradually intensifying roars behind her.
Damn it.
Her brain was starting to feel fuzzy, and Chu Muge coughed, her vision beginning to darken.
The symptoms were about to flare up.
It felt like something was churning violently in her stomach, as if a terrifying beast was struggling to break free, tearing through her flesh, trying to drag her organs out along with it.
She kept running, covering her mouth, her wide eyes filled with turmoil. Her lips curled up into a smile almost naturally, only to be forcibly straightened in the next second by what little rationality she had left—a laughable and helpless thin line.
Her body trembled slightly, and the veins on her slender, pale arms began to bulge from the strain of enduring the pain.
She wanted to vomit.
The world swayed around her, but she fought to keep her sanity, quickly thinking through her situation:
A contaminated zone meant there was a core.
The core would control the flesh to attack intruders, so she needed to lure the monster over.
With that in mind, she forced her battered body to move toward her goal.
The core is usually located at the center. She decided to take a gamble.
She was getting closer and closer.
Closer to the core, closer to the monster.
When Chu Muge finally found the writhing mass of flesh at the center of the basement floor, the monster arrived behind her at the same time and swiped at her back.
Perhaps due to the activation of her abilities, even though Chu Muge was struck hard by the claw, she wasn’t severely injured. She only felt a tremor in her internal organs. Her sweatshirt was torn, and terrifying blood marks appeared on her pale skin. She then fell to the ground.
Chu Muge: ??? So embarrassing.
As the monster lunged at her, Chu Muge quickly rolled over, planting one foot against its bony abdomen and tilting her head to avoid its snapping jaws.
One bite, and her head would be gone.
She was almost at her limit.
She gritted her teeth, glancing at the blood-red mass of flesh nearby. Through her gradually blurring vision, she seemed to see a familiar figure, though it might have been an illusion.
…Senior?
Her thoughts were cut off.
The monster opened its gaping maw and aimed for her head, ready to bite down.
But the scene of blood spraying everywhere didn’t happen. Instead, a great force was applied to its upper jaw, preventing it from closing its mouth.
A slender, pale arm was holding it up. Chu Muge looked at it; the red in her eyes dimmed. Then, while the monster was stunned, she raised her other hand, without any hesitation, and swiftly reached into its mouth, grabbing the mutated organ inside.
With a strong pull, muscle and sinew tore apart, and green liquid spurted out as Chu Muge ripped the organ out, like pulling out a tongue. The liquid splattered on her expressionless face, giving her an eerie look.
The monster let out a pained howl, instinctively trying to flee, but in the next moment, the flesh carpet beneath it moved. Numerous tendrils began attaching themselves to the monster, pulling the struggling creature into the air.
Gu Yao had finally learned how to use the power of the flesh carpet. Hiding behind the mass of flesh, she glanced at the Chu Muge lying on the ground and sighed in relief.
Thank goodness.
If the protagonist had died here, this novel would have probably collapsed.
…Though it’s probably already collapsed, right?
The monster swung its tail blade in the air, slicing through one tendril after another. Then its compound eyes shifted, looking toward the mass of flesh: "Gu… Gu Yao..."
Gu Yao: OxO
It called my name! How scary!?????
Wait a second.
Her grayish eyes focused on the struggling monster in the air, the sight becoming clearer.
So familiar...
The monster swung its tail blade, cutting through one tentacle after another.
Gu Yao watched it, without moving.
The tentacles kept reducing in number, but they kept growing back. Gu Yao stood there like a statue, expressionless, making no unnecessary movements.
Ah…
The monster seized the opportunity, slicing through the tentacles before they could fully regrow, and dropped to the ground.
She understood now…
The monster opened its mouth, spewing green liquid, and rushed at her.
It...
Splurt!
A bone-like tentacle suddenly shot out from the mass of flesh, its tip resembling a spear, vibrating slightly. It easily pierced through the monster’s chest.
Drip, drip...
Green blood dripped in silence.
Gu Yao looked into its compound eyes, as if peering through its body to see the anguished soul within.
It was Lou Yanan.
Gu yao easily saw through its true identity.
Gu Yao felt that after truly taking control of a mutant, her abilities had been unlocked like a key opening a lock, suddenly flowing smoothly.
In the next second, another tentacle shot out from the mass of flesh, impaling the joint where the monster had raised its claw.
The claw fell limply.
Splurt, splurt, one after another.
Piercing its limbs, piercing its abdomen, the mutant within the mass of flesh slowly lifted the howling monster into the air, as if playing with it.
The mass of flesh wriggled, and the newly born mutant shot out one final bone-like tentacle.
Aimed right at the monster’s head.
With a sound of impact, it pierced the monster’s brain.
The tentacle began retracting, and the monster, riddled with holes, fell to the ground, green blood gushing out, motionless.
Gu Yao watched as the bone-like tentacles slithered across the ground like snakes, eventually retracting back into the mass of flesh. She looked up and saw a pair of pitch-black eyes, like two pearls, in the slit of the torn flesh.
Gu Yao made eye contact with it and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
It had hatched.
-
"Come out."
Gu Yao mentally commanded the mass of flesh, expressionless but somewhat exasperated.
The mass of flesh didn’t move.
Gu Yao resisted the urge to roll her eyes, if she even could.
The mutant within the mass of flesh kept transmitting the same message:
【Don’t want to come out.】
Gu Yao could have forced it, but there was no need.
It had just hatched, and staying inside to absorb the nutrients from the blood and flesh of the lower basement to grow was indeed a better choice.
Fine.
The lone commander had finally gotten a subordinate that looked capable of fighting, and she wasn’t about to disturb her first underling’s rest.
There was one more thing to take care of.
Gu Yao looked at the Chu Muge lying on the ground not far away and sighed inwardly.
She started walking over, slowly approaching.
Her body seemed more flexible, no longer as stiff as a mummy. Even controlling it didn’t feel tiring.
But unfortunately…
"Cough... cough..."
Gu Yao tried to speak, but it still didn’t work.
Does turning into a zombie mean losing the ability to speak? (horrified)
She slowly approached Chu Muge, then heard her let out a faint whimper.
Gu Yao paused, looking at her trembling body. Then her gaze shifted to Chu Muge’s somewhat confused face, her eyes teary.
She was crying.
It was as if she couldn’t see Gu Yao, her red eyes unfocused, as though in another world.
The bloodstained girl’s abdomen, her trembling body, and her vacant gaze already made her look pitiable. Then Gu Yao noticed the pair of furry ears on top of her head.
They twitched slightly.
Gu Yao: ...
C-Cat ears?
Damn it.
She felt an itch in her hands.
To be honest, she was a cat lover.
Gu Yao: ...Honey, you’re really hitting my weak spot.