Chapter 4: The Strange Zombie
Xiao Yi tied the cloth bag around his body, then picked up the Sin Blade and swung it a couple of times.
It was a bit strenuous, but he could still handle it. Xiao Yi figured he could swing and hack a dozen times no problem, but anything more and his stamina would crap out.
He rubbed his somewhat deflated stomach, feeling the urgency—time was not on his side. He needed to scavenge corpses and food right now!
“Open the gate!” Xiao Yi barked at the city gate. The heavy iron door ground open slowly.
Outside, a few wandering student zombies were startled by the noise. They let out hoarse roars and charged straight for the City of Sin.
Xiao Yi gripped the Sin Blade, held his breath, and silently counted off the numbers.
“One... two... three... four...” Only after four zombies had barreled inside did Xiao Yi order the gate shut.
These were the lowest-tier living corpses, driven purely by instinct for flesh and blood, shambling along at about normal human speed.
As the four lunged at him, Xiao Yi roared and swung the Sin Blade down with brutal force...
In less than five minutes, he'd hacked them all to pieces. He took a couple of minor cuts, but nothing serious.
Staring at the sprawled corpses, Xiao Yi felt a strange sense of detachment, like he'd stepped into another world. Just days ago, these had been his classmates—now they were just meat under his blade.
He dragged one body over to the Tomb and chucked it into the bottomless pit.
Zombie burial in progress...
Estimated time: 1 hour...
One hour to bury a single zombie?
Xiao Yi frowned at the stele's text, then headed back to the rest room and flopped down on the bed.
The fight had drained his stamina, and he'd picked up two minor wounds. With the burial taking time, this was the perfect chance to recover in the rest room.
Time flew by. His arm and back wounds had healed up nicely, and a system chime rang in his mind:
Ding! Corpse burial complete!
+3 End Coins.
+2 Physique attributes.
Junior Tomb cleared. Ready for next burial.
A scorching heat surged through Xiao Yi's body, nourishing every bone, meridian, and cell.
Even his vision sharpened for a moment, the world crisper—but the sensation faded quickly, leaving him normal again.
This was a physique boost?
Xiao Yi stood, stepped out, and tossed another zombie corpse into the Tomb.
He repeated the process. Four hours later, all four zombies were buried.
Sensing the changes in his body, Xiao Yi murmured inwardly: “System, display my attributes.”
“Physique and strength both improved. My physique now rivals a national level-three athlete. But in this apocalypse, it's still far from enough!”
Xiao Yi stood and glanced at the sky.
It was high noon now. The blazing sun had made the zombies lethargic, most shuffling toward shady spots. The zombies on the sports field had thinned out.
Perfect chance—he could cross the field to the convenience store opposite and grab some food and water.
With the City of Sin secured, his safety inside was guaranteed. But food and water? Those were critical shortages right now.
Hunger and thirst were already hitting him with waves of dizziness.
“Open the gate!” Xiao Yi growled. As the gate swung open, he bolted straight for the convenience store.
Inside, three zombies wandered aimlessly. Xiao Yi recognized one—the stingy old lady boss. The other two had been students.
He charged in, and before they could react, he swung the Sin Blade furiously, cleaving all three down.
Ignoring the corpses, Xiao Yi yanked open his Space Bag and stuffed it with snacks and water from the shelves.
The commotion had drawn zombies from nearby, shambling slowly toward the store.
Xiao Yi frowned, stowed the three corpses in his Space Bag, and prepared to dash back—only to spot a bizarre zombie suddenly at the City of Sin's gate.
This one stood out from the rest: far bulkier, relentlessly slamming into the gate.