Shen Suian, who was some distance away from the group, had no idea that someone had set their sights on her. If she had known, she probably…
Wouldn’t have cared anyway.
“Tun… Tuanzi, can you come out?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a faint yellow orb glowing with a halo appeared before her. Compared to its initial form, it now wore a green leaf-shaped hat on its head and had a pair of eyes and a mouth.
It was unbearably cute.
Shen Suian couldn’t resist reaching out a finger to poke it.
Hmm… the texture wasn’t bad.
Tuntun circled around her twice, snorted haughtily, and asked, 【Why did you call me out?】
“Where is this?”
What else could she want from calling it out?
Of course, it was to prevent it from running away while she was asking questions.
【Flower City.】 Tuntun gave her a strange look. 【Have you forgotten where you live?】
Shen Suian flicked its little head with her finger and said irritably, “How could I recognize it looking like this?”
Tuntun’s round body swayed backward as it flailed its tiny hands. 【Hey, hey, don’t touch me like that.】
Didn’t it have any dignity?
Although…
This was actually kind of fun.
“Stop messing around. Hurry up, what about my Superpowers?”
Danger lurked everywhere now. Although she had learned some basic martial arts from Xie Yubai, having an extra layer of protection would make her feel more at ease.
【Well… I’m not too sure about that.】
Its voice grew noticeably quieter, betraying its guilt.
“?”
“What do you mean by ‘not too sure’?”
【‘Not too sure’ means I don’t know.】 Tuntun lowered its head. 【I told you beforehand that Superpowers are random.】
Shen Suian forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “What I meant was, how do I develop my Superpowers?”
【…Well, I…】
“You don’t know that either?” Shen Suian shot it a disdainful glance. “Then what do you know? What’s the point of having you?”
Tuntun felt like it had suffered a billion points of psychological damage. It placed its hands on its hips and retorted, 【Who said I don’t know?】
Shen Suian stared at it intently.
Tuntun grew guilty again, beads of sweat forming on its forehead. It pretended to stay calm, cleared its throat, and said, 【Well, uh… first, find a safe place, sit cross-legged, and start meditating. Then, um…】
Under Shen Suian’s piercing gaze, it braced itself and continued, 【Then you should figure it out.】
Shen Suian’s lips twitched. “”
Did she look that stupid?
The next second, her expression turned cold as she grabbed Tuntun and started running.
“Grrr.”
The noise behind her grew louder. Likely sensing the presence of living humans, the two zombies became unusually excited.
Caught off guard, Tuntun was squeezed tightly in the girl’s palm. Stars spun above its head, its eyes turned into swirling spirals, and it bounced up and down, feeling utterly miserable.
【Let～ go～ I’m～ going to～ die～ System～】
Its trembling words dissipated into the air with the wind, unheard by Shen Suian. She glanced back out of the corner of her eye, her scalp tingling with fear, and nearly vomited the meal she had eaten the day before.
Of the two zombies behind her, one had its stomach slashed open, intestines dangling outside and swaying with each step. The other was missing an arm, a quarter of its head gone, with an unknown fluid dripping down its skull. The sight was nothing short of horrifying.
Their grayish-white eyeballs bulged, devoid of pupils. Their mouths were stretched wide open, revealing jagged, discolored teeth in a bizarre shade.
A pungent, putrid stench wafted through the air, mingling with the scorching wind that brushed against her cheeks as she ran. Shen Suian held her breath until she nearly passed out.
According to the timeline, the weather should have been much cooler by now…
“Grrr… grrr…”
The hideous sounds grew closer.
Shen Suian shook off the wandering thoughts in her mind and called out, “Tuanzi, get me a knife.”
[Wha—? What did you say…]
Tuntun’s trembling voice came through.
Shen Suian paused, glancing down at Tuntun’s dazed state, and sighed in exasperation. “You’re getting motion sickness?”
Tuntun no longer had the strength to respond.
Shen Suian sighed again. As expected, she could only rely on herself.
She quickly scanned her surroundings, her gaze settling on one spot. Her eyes lit up, and she abruptly changed direction, sprinting toward the left side.
Several corpses were piled against the wall. Whether by sheer luck or not, one of them had a kitchen knife embedded in it.
Though it looked dirty and dull, it was better than nothing.
“Bro, I’m borrowing your knife.”
Pulling the kitchen knife free, Shen Suian stopped in her tracks, warily eyeing the two zombies lunging toward her.
“Ugh, so ugly!”
As a seasoned aesthete, this sight was nothing short of an insult to her eyes.
She took a deep breath and swung the knife with practiced ease.
She remembered—in her dreams, zombies died once their heads were destroyed…
As for Tuntun, since Shen Suian had no pockets, she had tossed it onto a relatively clean spot earlier, leaving it to lie there questioning its existence… or rather, its System existence.
“Thwack—”
The not-so-sharp blade sliced fiercely into the zombie missing a quarter of its brain. With the sound, some fluid splattered out. If Shen Suian hadn’t dodged quickly, it would have sprayed all over her face.
Watching the zombie’s body crumple limply to the ground, Shen Suian let out a sigh of relief, tightening her grip on the kitchen knife. Her tea-colored eyes reflected the grotesque face and the outstretched hand with long, sharp nails.
Shen Suian sidestepped, swinging the knife toward the zombie’s head. As if sensing danger instinctively, the zombie turned and clawed at her. The blade merely grazed its face, failing to even break the skin.
Shen Suian’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. Her palm-sized face showed no emotion, but her almond-shaped eyes gleamed with a cold, sharp light. She swiftly dodged its attack and continued swinging the knife.
She had to end this quickly…
“Grrr!”
The sound grated on Shen Suian’s nerves. She briefly considered kicking it but immediately dismissed the idea upon seeing the dangling intestines.
However—
Her body spun agilely as she raised her foot and kicked the zombie hard in the back. Seizing the brief moment, Shen Suian plunged the knife straight through its skull.
“Thud—”
Her tense nerves relaxed slightly. She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead but froze when her gaze fell on the dark red stain on her palm.
In a world like this, those with a cleanliness obsession would find it hard to endure.
Like her.