Chapter 11: No Zuo No Die

Thinking he was after all a genius of the Lingyun Academy, how could he possibly be frightened by such a thing?

Who could have known that before the words were even finished, the zombie would suddenly snap its eyes open and simultaneously seize her ankle!

"Ah—!" Resurrected from the dead?! She had not expected this at all!

After all, who would have thought this thing would suddenly come back to life?!

Losing her balance, Xu Zixin was tripped straight to the ground, her legs kicking furiously at the zombie in an attempt to drive the creature away, but who could have known the zombie possessed such monstrous strength that she could not break free in that short span, and though she fired repeatedly, she could not make the zombie retreat even half a step; instead, as if driven mad, it bit down viciously upon her ankle!

This time, Xu Zixin was truly terrified!

It could not really be said that she was cowardly; let alone a young woman who had rarely experienced such bloodshed, even war-hardened special forces soldiers under these circumstances would inevitably be startled out of their wits, a fact that had long been proven.

How could it be unkillable?!

It was simply too horrific! To think she had previously deemed it unremarkable?

"Am I to be devoured by this monster?" Clenching her silver teeth, a wave of despair washed over her heart, and she even felt the distinct shadow of death creeping near.

It was all because of her own carelessness!

"Shoot it in the head." Just then, a voice drifted over from her side.

"Ah...?" She blanked for a moment, and just as the zombie was about to bite savagely into her calf again, she hurriedly pulled the trigger!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several shots rang out in rapid succession, the bullets all plunging straight into the zombie's forehead.

The zombie finally ceased its movements and, with a miserable wail, collapsed to the floor!

"That is why I say it is better for girls not to play such bloody and violent games; after all, if you do not seek death, you will not die..." Owner Fang was a calm person of high principle, at least resembling the system in this single regard.

Fang Qi sat before a computer next to her, watching Xu Zixin log out of the virtual reality mode and cast a somewhat complicated gaze toward him, meeting her eyes with utter nonchalance and saying with great seriousness, "No need to thank me."

"!!??" He actually had the nerve to say no need to thank him? This thick-skinned audacity was truly comparable to a fortress wall.

Xu Zixin glared at him, caught between anger and amusement.

Even if she had felt a flicker of gratitude just now, was not all of this caused by playing this wretched game of yours in the first place!

At this thought, Xu Zixin glared at him fiercely once more.

Fang Qi shrugged his shoulders, putting on a display of complete innocence.

Xu Zixin secretly thought to herself, had she not just been complaining that there was nothing in this Jiuhua City capable of capturing her interest?

Although this game was a bit terrifying at times, now that she possessed the method to deal with that monster, it did not seem quite as frightening; rather, thinking back on it now, it was actually rather thrilling!

At the same time, she also realized that under such tense combat just now, her breakthrough bottleneck had actually loosened a fraction!

She was utterly shocked; one must know that she had paid a tremendous price and bitterly trained in the Martial Arts Tower of Lingyun Academy for so long without any sign of a breakthrough, yet playing this game for only a brief moment had caused the bottleneck to shift?!

How was it possible?

Seeing that Fang Qi spoke no further and instead immersed himself back into his own game, she hurriedly re-entered the game as well, continuing her journey through Resident Evil to verify whether this sensation of a loosening bottleneck was truly real.

She felt as though this game were a magnificent treasure trove waiting for her to discover it!

As she delved deeper into the game, employing the headshot tactic provided by Fang Qi, she successfully dispatched several zombies in a row, and her initial sense of dread began to fade considerably.

Replacing it was a tremendous sense of achievement and the gripping thrill of adventure!

Before this, where would she ever have imagined that there existed such a breathtakingly exciting form of adventure in this world!

This style of gaming was simply an epoch-making masterpiece!

Most importantly, this was far more than simple adventure and excitement! The plot of this game had also aroused her profound interest.

"What will my final ending be in this game?"

"Will I be able to find my teammates?"

The plot of Resident Evil 1 was simple and exceptionally easy to comprehend; it was a search and rescue operation, and the players embodying the rescuers could seamlessly immerse themselves into the narrative.

As an outstanding young martial artist, she could not possibly be overly faint-hearted; after her initial fright, it instead provoked her stubborn defiance!

The simple plot, shrouded in dense layers of mist, was all the more capable of drawing a person in, kindling her desire for exploration.

What exactly lay hidden within, and what truly was the Resident Evil? All these riddles made one desperate to unravel them!

She could not wait to continue playing! As for her previous suspicions of Fang Qi being a swindler, they had long been cast to the back of her mind.

She felt that she was now Jill: "I must uncover the entire truth of this incident!"

"Boss! Give us some machines!" Several people came storming through the door in a flurry, and when Fang Qi looked up, they were quite familiar—were they not Lin Shao, Xu Luo, and the others?

"Why are you guys back again?" Fang Qi was instantly amused. "Haven't you already played for six hours today? What are you logging on for now?"

"??"

In this day and age, was there actually an owner who asked his customers why they were back again? To not welcome customers upon arrival was one thing, but to ask why they returned?

Song Qingfeng's face was lined with exasperation: "I say, Boss, the way you speak..."

"It is not for me!" He stepped aside from the doorway, and two more young masters walked in from outside; Lin Shao pointed to the two behind him and said, "We brought you a few more customers, how about it! Will you consider letting me play for a few more hours?"

"I say, gentlemen," the young master with a long face spoke up, "can such a tiny shop truly be as miraculous as you claim?"

He looked around at his surroundings; it was clean enough, but there was nothing particularly special about it.

"You say this game allows one to personally play the protagonist of a biographical novel?" the two asked with some skepticism. "How large is this place? One cannot even stretch out their arms and legs here, can they?"

"You will understand when the time comes, just make sure you do not get frightened." Lin Shao and Xu Luo were clearly deeply impressed by the wonder of this place, whispering two words: "Cultivators!"

"Cultivators?" Hearing Lin Shao and Xu Luo say this, the two became even more skeptical; this owner did not look like a cultivator at all!

What did they mean by cultivators? Could it be a creation of cultivators?

A creation of cultivators was a rare and precious object indeed.

In truth, most of the artifacts circulating in the market were shoddy imitations, while genuine cultivator creations were precious and rare!

For in this world, those with a talent for martial arts were numerous, but those with the aptitude for cultivation were few and far between.

Therefore, anywhere in the Great Jin Kingdom, if something could be linked to a true cultivator, it would naturally command a higher level of respect.

"I have already made a bet with Brother Qingfeng; if I can kill just one of those monsters called 'zombies', he loses," said a youth who was visibly younger than the rest. "Never mind whether it is that miraculous, I shall win the bet first."

Looking at this group, Fang Qi could not help but pat his forehead with a bit of a headache: should he put up a sign banning minors?

"True enough!" the long-faced youth said. "I also made a bet with Brother Song; if I kill a zombie without dying, he will give me that 'Cold Star' sword of his."

None of them were fellows who cared much about money; they sat before the computers and entered the game.

Song Qingfeng and the other two watched from behind, guiding the two into the game.

Upon entering, the sensation of personally stepping into the scene immediately captivated the two, and with the opening cinematic, they finally understood what it meant to play the protagonist of a biographical novel!

To think that they really were to be the protagonist themselves!

"Brother Song! Why did you not tell us earlier about such a wonderful thing!?" The breathing of the two grew ragged; when had they ever played such a miraculous game?!

Soon, both of them entered the mansion; the gloomy, sinister atmosphere and the dim lighting made the entire mansion feel incredibly oppressive, and the two respectively arrived before the very first zombie that offered the "turning glance and smile."

With its back turned to them, the zombie was easily mistaken for a survivor, and both of them unthinkingly stepped forward, intending to ask about the situation in this mansion.

Who could have anticipated that when it turned its head, it would reveal an incomparably hideous and rotting face!

Then, it lunged forward with sudden, violent ferocity!

"Ah—!"

A chorus of agonized shrieks instantly erupted within the internet cafe!

Though Song Qingfeng had warned them beforehand of the zombies' grotesque and terrifying visages, the two were nonetheless struck with panic; one was bitten on the arm and fled in utter disarray, while the other, though physically unscathed, was thoroughly shaken.

"Xiao Pingzi is out," Lin Shao, standing behind him, laughed heartily as he looked at the boy two years their junior.

Immediately after, the other youth fled into the main hall, only to discover that the other team members who had been there moments ago were now nowhere to be seen!

Then, he suddenly noticed a scratch of indeterminate length upon his arm, though he could not recall when it had been inflicted.

The wound had already begun to blacken, leaving no doubt that it was by no means an ordinary injury.

"It appears Brother Li is out as well," Xu Luo remarked, bursting into laughter upon seeing the pair defeated in less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, their plight far more wretched than his own had been. Pointing at them, he added, "We warned you long ago that the claws of these zombies bear a lethal toxin, yet you remained so careless. You have no one else to blame. Were this not within a game, the two of you would already be heading home to arrange your funerals."

The two instantly crestfallen, mumbled in dejection, "Who could have known the horrific monsters you spoke of were actually transformed from humans!"

The youth they addressed as Brother Li was named Li Xi; seeing his injuries were light, he steeled his heart in a fit of desperate defiance: "Even if I must die, this young master will drag the monster down to the grave with me!"

With those words, he raised his palm and slammed it fiercely against the zombie!

Having cast all caution to the wind, he no longer feared infection, and before long, he battered the zombie to the ground, whereupon he slapped his hands together in satisfaction: "This monster relies on nothing but cheap ambushes, it is nowhere near as terrifying as Brother Song claimed!"

Lin Shao and Xu Luo exchanged a knowing smile; without a decisive blow to the head, the zombie would resurrect into a state of frenzied rage, and that was the true horror!

As expected, it was not long before the zombie rose from the ground once more, its skin flushing a deep crimson, its countenance growing increasingly monstrous!

"What is happening?!" Li Xi cried out in immediate shock.

Before long, an exhausted Li Xi fell beneath the claws of the rampaging zombie.

Only then did Li Xi look back, exclaiming, "How can this be?! Is this monster immortal?!"

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