Chapter 96: Savior, the Mutated Serpent (Part 1)

They pressed on for quite a while, not encountering a single living soul along the way—and, oddly enough, there were hardly any zombies to be seen either.

It made sense that there were no survivors; after all, who knew how long it had been since the apocalypse began? Anyone who could have escaped had probably already done so. But the lack of zombies was strange.

Especially since, thanks to Bian Changxi’s careful observation, she noticed that a few of the zombie corpses bore fresh wounds—decapitated, limbs severed—injuries that looked like they’d been inflicted just this morning, and definitely by human hands. This made her heart clench with unease.

Could there still be people here?

Looking closer, she saw that the wounds were caused by blunt force, sharp weapons, and even showed signs of being burned by fire.

Suddenly, a voice called out from a distance, “Hey—!” She stood up, but didn’t see anyone. The voice wasn’t far off.

If there were people, she could get some information. Bian Changxi cautiously approached the source of the sound.

On the way, she passed a hotel. She glanced at it—it was quite large, over ten stories tall, lavishly decorated. The golden characters “Wuzhou Grand Hotel” gleamed blindingly in the sunlight. Yet inside, the lobby was a scene of chaos and bloodshed. A staircase wound its way upward, crystal ornaments glinting eerily, casting a sinister chill.

Bian Changxi paused, her expression turning grave. She lowered her footsteps and moved away from the hotel, extending her senses as she went.

Her ability relied on plants, and in this jungle of steel and concrete, it was nowhere near as effective as on the grasslands. She could only vaguely sense something inside the hotel—a presence that was powerful and cold, as if a pair of sharp eyes were watching her from the shadows.

The feeling was like being possessed by a ghost; a more timid person would have been scared out of their wits and fled. But Bian Changxi knew: in the apocalypse, some zombies had strange attributes, powerful abilities, or unique skills that could give people this kind of feeling.

That wasn’t the truly scary part. Survivors could sense fear and avoid danger. The most terrifying were those powerful, silent beings that couldn’t be detected at all.

Suddenly, she sensed something hiding in the greenery in front of the hotel. She looked over—two blood-red eyes flashed. In the next instant—whoosh!—a black shadow leapt out, sprinted a few steps, then launched itself at her with incredible speed and agility.

It was a black beast, but its four paws and head were white. Its eyes glowed red and fierce, and as it swiped its claws, sharp hooked blades gleamed.

Bian Changxi didn’t dare let it get close. With a flick of her left hand, a vine covered in ice lashed out.

The creature reacted quickly, twisting its body in midair. The vine, which should have struck its head, landed on its shoulder and back instead. With a smack, it crashed to the ground, but quickly rolled upright. Its left foreleg was clearly broken—it limped back two steps, baring its fangs and growling at Bian Changxi.

“A mutated cat?”

Pointed ears, long whiskers, fur bristling all over, and that cry—Bian Changxi recognized it as a mutated cat, though it was now nearly as tall as an adult’s knee.

Its forehead and body were covered in tumor-like lumps. The vine had burst one open, exposing rotten flesh, making it look even more vicious and grotesque.

Bian Changxi took a step forward. The cat shrank back, clearly frightened by the blow, but it didn’t flee with its tail between its legs. Instead, it seemed to be waiting for something.

Suddenly, ripples of power shimmered through the air like waves. Bian Changxi snapped her head up, staring at the hotel. Was this…a summoning?

Moments later, mutated cats of all sizes and colors emerged from every direction, surrounding Bian Changxi. They growled and hissed, bodies low, fur and ears standing on end, baring their fangs, eyes swirling with bloodlust—a pack ready to tear her apart.

She quickly counted—at least a dozen. Even she was startled. Getting tangled up with these ferocious beasts, even if she survived, she’d be lucky to escape unscathed.

She glanced around—she couldn’t wait for the circle to close in. She charged at the injured cat, wrapped it up with her vine, and flung it at another cat. Taking advantage of the opening, she dashed toward a bus stop, grabbed the edge of the shelter, and vaulted up. Two cats followed her like shadows—one bit into her pant leg, the other clawed at her back, both scrambling up after her.

As soon as she steadied herself, she swung her tang blade, knocking the cat off her leg. The one on her back lunged for her shoulder—she slapped its gaping jaws with her left hand, stabbing a wooden spike into its mouth. The cat tumbled onto the roof, then slid to the ground.

The other cats swarmed below, leaping up with wild ferocity. Bian Changxi’s eye twitched—were these really just cats? Did they have to be this savage?

She drew her pistol—bang, bang, bang—each shot taking down a cat. But even that didn’t stop them. One lunged at her head-on; she rolled aside just in time, only for another to leap up beside her. Its claws slashed, tearing several gashes in her sleeve. She kicked it off, then whipped out her tang blade, slicing the attacking cat in half—her blade even cut through the roof.

Bian Changxi didn’t dare let up for a second, nerves taut as she fought off the relentless onslaught. From the ground to the roof, then forced back down again, she finally got fed up. As she ran, she used her vines to bind and bundle up the cats one by one. Thankfully, her vines were much tougher now—otherwise, those crazy cats’ fangs and claws would have shredded them.

But the downside was that the tougher vines were less flexible—more like plastic tubing than rope. A small white cat managed to wriggle free from the vine loop and bolted in the opposite direction. Bian Changxi looked over and saw, to her surprise, someone coming down the hotel stairs.

The newcomer was dressed in a white wedding gown, long hair tangled and hanging over her face and chest, obscuring her features. One foot was bare, the other dragging a high-heeled shoe by its strap. Her movements were stiff, her arms—bruised and scarred—stretched straight out in front of her, with long, black nails. She slowly emerged from the shadows.

Bian Changxi suddenly felt her teeth ache.

She glanced up—the sun was still shining bright. But wasn’t this straight out of a horror movie?

With the appearance of the wedding-dress zombie, that chilling aura returned. Bian Changxi realized this was what she’d sensed in the hotel. The little white cat ran over, circling the zombie’s legs affectionately. The zombie seemed oblivious, standing in the doorway, lifting her face slightly. Beneath the tangled hair, red lips curled into a grin.

Bian Changxi shuddered. Did she have to be this creepy? The remaining mutated cats grew restless, as if pulled by some invisible force, even those bound by vines bouncing up and down. Bian Changxi could barely keep them under control, so she shot them all, one by one.

“Ah—!” The wedding-dress zombie shrieked in rage, waving her arms, nails scraping glass with a screech. Bian Changxi immediately sensed more animals approaching fast. She knew this zombie was the source of the mutated beasts—if she didn’t take it out, more would keep coming.

She decisively pulled out a large-caliber rifle from her farm, took aim, and was about to fire when, out of the corner of her eye, a shadow suddenly appeared in midair beside her head. Startled, she swung her gun up—only for the figure to shout, “Don’t shoot!” Before the word “don’t” was fully out, the person had already crashed into her.

Luckily, she reacted fast. As she fell back, she grabbed the person’s clothes, kicked him over her head, and landed in a crouch, gun trained on him.

The man tumbled, his spine aching from the impact. Seeing Bian Changxi’s reaction, he scrambled up, adjusting his yellow hard hat. “I mean no harm, really! I just wanted to stop you from shooting. I just learned to teleport and messed up the landing—ended up in the air!”

Teleport? Bian Changxi thought back—he really had appeared out of nowhere. But his explanation was less convincing. “Who are you? Why stop me from shooting? Is this zombie off-limits?”

“Of course you can’t kill her! If you try, I’ll kill you first!” came a cold, angry voice from behind. A young man rushed over, glancing nervously at the wedding-dress zombie in the hotel, then glared fiercely at Bian Changxi. “There’s so much space—why did you have to come here? You trespass on someone else’s territory and then righteously try to kill the owner? You people always think you’re so holy and justified!”

Bian Changxi was baffled by the hostility, but two things were clear: first, the zombie was someone these two had known in life, and they were protecting her; second, they were blaming her.

Ha! She’d already sensed danger and tried to avoid it, but a cat had attacked her first—was she supposed to just take it? Besides, in this world, people kill zombies and zombies kill people—that’s the way things are. Since when were there rules about territory and peaceful coexistence? What nonsense! If anyone should be angry, it was her!

She scowled, about to retort, when the teleporter quickly interjected, “Lao Liu, what’s gotten into you? She was just defending herself—no one expects everyone to protect Xiao Ai like you do.” He rubbed his hands awkwardly at Bian Changxi. “Please don’t be mad. He wasn’t always like this. It’s just because of that zombi—uh, she’s his…”

Lao Liu shot him a glare, cutting him off. Bian Changxi’s expression softened. Watching a loved one turn into a zombie—neither dead nor alive, a grotesque existence—was hard for anyone, especially for someone sentimental. It was a torment that ate away at the soul.

She glanced at Lao Liu—his gaunt frame was practically skin and bones, dirty clothes hanging off him like a sack. With his stubble and nest-like hair, he looked like a refugee. But judging by his height, bearing, and still-handsome features, he must have once been a vigorous, promising young man.

PS:

Thank you to __风锺訫声 for the Peach Blossom Fan! Thank you to 吟唱的歌 for the Peace Amulet! Thank you to 水玻璃说 for the Peace Amulet! Thank you to 包包紫 for the Peace Amulet! You guys are too generous!

Thanks to 蹊跷叶子 for a pink ticket! Thanks to 3大笑 for a pink ticket! Thanks to 啥子名字都有了 for a pink ticket! Thanks to 梦幻之多瑙河 for two pink tickets!

Yesterday must have been my lucky day—so many of you sent tickets and gifts, I was almost blinded by happiness! Big hugs to each of you!

I have an exam this morning, and I was so tired last night that I only managed to write a bit of the second update. I’ll continue at noon, but the update might be a little later than usual, so please be gentle~~(╯3╰)"