Su Qianqian’s scream finally tore out of her throat, so shrill that it broke pitch.
“Is there a film crew shooting here?” Her luck couldn’t be that good, right? Randomly picking a place and running into a big production? Just look at how realistic this acting was!
But still—“Why didn’t they clear the set first? That scared me to death…”
It happened without warning.
Her mind had gone blank just now, her body reacting faster than thought. She had instinctively leapt backward, knocking the chair over with a loud clang.
That rotting hand brushed past the hem of her pants. The icy touch and the nauseating stench made her stomach churn violently.
Chaos exploded like boiling oil.
“Where’s the camera? I wonder if it caught me—do I look good on screen…”
Her face was pretty small; she should look good on camera, right!
As Su Qianqian searched for cameras, screams, cries, the crashing of overturned tables and chairs, and the relentless shattering of glass—
The entire café instantly turned into a living hell.
More twisted figures roared as they poured in through the shattered floor-to-ceiling window, lunging at the nearest living people.
A waiter was knocked to the ground, his white uniform instantly soaked red with blood.
In the corner, a man desperately swung a heavy wooden chair at a charging monster, dull thuds echoing with each strike…
“Go!”
A cold, decisive voice rang out beside Su Qianqian’s ear.
“Huh? Not going to get some screen time?”
“Su Qianqian, this isn’t a movie. The zombies are real.”
“…!”
Lin Chen’s hand suddenly gripped her icy wrist, his strength so great it almost crushed her bones.
At some point, he had already stood up. With his other hand, he grabbed a heavy metal thermos left behind by a stunned customer at the neighboring table.
There was no expression on his face, but his eyes were as sharp as unsheathed blades, instantly locking onto the direction of the staff passage at the back—
For now, it wasn’t blocked by those “things.”
Su Qianqian stumbled as he yanked her forward, practically dragging her along.
Her mind was still muddled, relying entirely on the brute force from his arm to keep from falling.
Before her were the fleeing backs of a panicked crowd. In her ears were scalp-numbing chewing sounds and dying wails. Her nose filled with the metallic scent of blood and the nauseating stench of decay.
The world spun and twisted wildly before her eyes, like an abstract painting splattered with filthy blood.
Pulling her along, Lin Chen moved through the screaming crowd like a nimble fish.
He suddenly pivoted, avoiding a frantic man rushing toward them. At the same time, his wrist flicked, sending the heavy metal thermos in a short, precise arc.
“Bang!”
A dull impact struck a zombie that had been lunging toward a woman nearby—right at its temple.
Its head jerked violently to the side, its movements freezing instantly.
“Stay close!” Lin Chen’s voice remained cold, without the slightest hint of breathlessness.
The narrow back door of the staff passage was just ahead.
Several others, who had also reacted in time, were desperately shoving each other, trying to squeeze out.
Lin Chen suddenly accelerated, dragging Su Qianqian with him as he forced his way through the gaps in the crowd, slamming his shoulder against the half-closed metal door.
“Bang!” The door crashed against the wall.
Blinding sunlight rushed in, and the scene on the street flooded into view—yet it was even more despairing than the hell inside the café.
Vehicles had crashed into each other at all angles. Thick smoke billowed upward. Alarms blared one after another, forming a chaotic sea of noise.
On the streets, countless staggering, blood-soaked figures wandered, chased, and attacked.
Screams and cries surged from all directions like a tide, battering the eardrums.
The harsh light made Su Qianqian squint, her stomach churning violently as she nearly vomited on the spot.
She bit down hard on her lower lip, the metallic taste of blood spreading in her mouth, barely suppressing the dizziness.
Without pausing for even a moment, Lin Chen dragged her down the steps outside the back door and sharply turned into a relatively narrow alley beside it, where several green trash bins were piled up.
A few chilling roars echoed from deeper within the alley, but for now, none of those things were in sight.
“This way!” Lin Chen barked, his gaze quickly scanning the alley’s layout.
At the end of the alley seemed to be a small fork.
Having temporarily escaped the most chaotic center, Su Qianqian was suddenly pressed against a cold brick wall by Lin Chen as she gasped for breath.
The rough, icy texture of the wall seeped through her thin clothes, allowing her numb nerves—shocked by fear—to regain a faint sense of awareness.
Her heart hammered wildly in her chest, as if it might break her ribs and leap out.
Each rapid breath carried the taste of blood and dust, scraping painfully against her throat.
She took out her phone and sent a message to her mother. Just as she was about to put it away, she suddenly remembered—
The game!
Her brothers in the canyon!
They were still online!
They didn’t know!
They… they needed to run!
China’s good teammate Su Qianqian didn’t even have time to think about how foolish this action was.
The familiar golden icon of Honor of Kings looked especially out of place and eerie on the blood-smeared screen.
Her fingers trembled so badly that it took several attempts before she finally managed to enter the game.
The loading bar crept forward slowly. Every pause felt like torture to her nerves.
Finally, the main interface appeared!
She quickly reentered the match that had been interrupted earlier.
She had started that game earlier just to ease the awkwardness while waiting to revive—and even took a photo during it. After everything that had happened, the three remaining teammates were still holding the high ground…
Three against five—it really wasn’t easy.
Without hesitation, she opened the chat box. Her trembling thumb flew across the virtual keyboard, using nearly all her strength. Each word felt like it was squeezed out with blood:
“Guys! Zombies! It’s real! Go AFK! Run for your lives!!! Location: Jiang City!!!”
Message sent.
Almost at the same second—
[Team] Thunder God (Lu Bu): “???”
[Team] Thunder God (Lu Bu): “Are you trolling me? An AFK player making up such ridiculous excuses? I’m reporting you!”
[Team] Thunder God (Lu Bu): “Damn actor!”
[All] Enemy Little Fairy (Angela): “Pfft~ That excuse is even worse than a bad actor’s. Trying to trick us? No way! (tongue-out emoji)”
[All] Enemy Top Jungler Bro (Li Bai): “Yeah yeah, bro, your acting needs improvement! Stay steady—we can win! (cheer emoji)”
Cold, mocking, teasing lines of text appeared one after another.
A wave of absurdity, despair, and dark humor surged up from the soles of her feet straight to her head, freezing her blood.
She stared blankly at the rapidly scrolling replies, filled with the flippant tone unique to the gaming world.
Then she looked at the alley in front of her, reeking of blood and death, and listened to the endless screams and roars from the streets nearby…
The overwhelming sense of dissonance made her vision darken, her stomach churning even harder.
Lin Chen had thought she was messaging her family. He hadn’t expected this fool to log into a game at a time like this, and he couldn’t help but press a hand to his forehead.
“You…” She was truly hopelessly dense.
“Grrrgh…”
A drawn-out, wet growl suddenly came from the shadow at the corner of the alley.
A figure in a tattered security guard uniform staggered into view, dragging a twisted, deformed leg. Its murky yellow eyes locked tightly onto the two of them by the wall.
Every hair on Su Qianqian’s body stood on end.