"Urgh."
The sudden sound of vomiting was abrupt, but in such a scene, it seemed quite reasonable.
"They're all dismembered corpses."
Sun Hao couldn't believe it, quickly averting his gaze, but accidentally let a blood-stained eyeball enter his sight.
"Urgh."
Sun Hao covered his mouth, hastily looking away, only daring to stare at the ground beneath his feet.
"Alright, let's go, everyone."
Gao Xin covered his nose and mouth with his hand, waving his hand uncomfortably.
Liang Qing's arm was held by Jiang Qiqi, leaning against her. She frowned imperceptibly, moving her arm uncomfortably.
"What's wrong?"
Jiang Qiqi glanced at her, trying not to let her gaze wander.
"You pressed on my hair."
Liang Qing pulled her hair slightly, then tucked her hands into her pockets, discreetly avoiding Jiang Qiqi's hand ready to reach out again, and walked ahead.
"Wait for me."
Jiang Qiqi, unaware, followed her pace, remaining silent. In such a quiet environment, she dared not speak loudly.
Sitting silently, Si Qiao quietly surveyed the surroundings. The residual aura of death made breathing difficult, and he couldn't help but want to escape.
Si Qiao's hand brushed against the wall, looking at the splattered brown marks, his heart pondering.
"Sun Hao, where do we go next?"
After finding an empty room to rest, Jiang Qiqi, nibbling on a piece of bread, saw that the others showed no intention of speaking and couldn't help but ask.
"To the city center, but we need to find a car that works first."
Sun Hao stared blankly at the bread in his hand, pondering for a few seconds before speaking.
"I studied before entering the instance. The death rate in this instance is very high, but although the attacks of those zombies are strong, they shouldn't cause so many players to sacrifice."
Jiang Qiqi said, and the others' gazes fell on her one after another, making her feel a little uneasy.
"What's wrong?"
Jiang Qiqi asked.
"Didn't you notice any changes in these zombies?"
Sun Hao asked.
"Changes? They got uglier?"
Jiang Qiqi thought for a moment and uncertainly blurted out a few words.
Seeing Sun Hao looking at her with an expression of looking at a fool, she said, "They mutated, Jiang Qiqi, did you do your homework?"
"Ah."
Jiang Qiqi recalled that since entering the instance, she hadn't fought zombies alone. She had relied on the others every time.
For the few times she encountered zombies, it was in the dark night. She just swung her weapon and outputted as much as she could, how could she observe so much?
"My points are not enough, so I can only browse the forums in the outer circle."
Jiang Qiqi pursed her lips, glancing at Sun Hao.
"Letting you enter the instance more would have helped, you'll regret it sooner or later."
Sun Hao and Jiang Qiqi had known each other since they entered the game, and their conversations were much more intimate than with the others.
Although he was scolding her, he still explained some information to her in detail.
"So, by the tenth day, the zombies here will evolve into undead!"
Jiang Qiqi exclaimed, covering her mouth hurriedly, her eyes full of fear.
"Mm."
Gao Xin leaned back against the wall, his gaze falling outside the window, lost in thought.
"Uh-oh, I shouldn't have entered this instance."
Jiang Qiqi buried her head in her hands, crying softly, wishing she could go back and strangle herself when she chose the instance.
"Alright, since we're here, we'll have to make the best of it. I've got your back."
Sun Hao patted her shoulder, saying boldly. But after getting a white eye from Jiang Qiqi, he saw her run up to Si Qiao who was standing by the window.
"Brother Qiao, are you hungry? Want some bread?"
Jiang Qiqi offered two slices of bread, and Si Qiao, after a glance, accepted them with a faint "thank you."
"You're welcome. Take your time eating, if it's not enough, come find me again."
Jiang Qiqi smiled and walked back, only to find Sun Hao looking at her with a pale face.
"What's with that look?"
Jiang Qiqi glanced at him, then sat down again and continued to nibble on her bread.
"Hmph."
Sun Hao stood up amidst her puzzled gaze, snorted lightly, and walked away.
"Tch."
Jiang Qiqi snorted back, feeling everything was calm, unlike the peace here, the zombies outside were undergoing subtle changes.
The black car sped along, followed by several distorted zombies. Under the withered skin, the blood vessels were clearly visible, and even the flow of blood could be seen.
The zombies' faces were only covered by a layer of skin, with hollow eyes red as if dripping blood.
The long tongue seemed to be more resilient than before, and upon closer inspection, one could see densely packed hairs growing on it.
The hairs slowly stood up like needle tips, eager to penetrate the skin of living people, drill in, and grow into the second zombie.
The car had air conditioning on, and Tan Xinger felt the bumps in her sleep, gradually regaining consciousness, and slowly opened her eyes.
In the rearview mirror, a pair of slender eyes had been staring at her every move.
Tan Xinger frowned slightly, and then the curly eyelashes trembled slightly, slowly opening her eyes.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she met the cold gaze in the rearview mirror. The almond-shaped eyes were sharp, but the gaze was not indifferent, as if the moon touched by human breath, no longer lonely.
But Tan Xinger soon felt that it was just a momentary illusion. When she woke up, she subconsciously moved back.
Backing away, she almost bumped straight into the car door, but was pulled back in time by Gu Jingyong's hand.
"Don't move."
Gu Jingyong furrowed his brows, slowly releasing his hand, inadvertently brushing over his wrinkled collar, and looked indifferently ahead.
"Do you have superpowers?" Tan Xinger patted her head, dispelling the bloody scenes in her mind, and then asked after considering her words.
"Strictly speaking, not really. Only a very small number of people can gain skills."
Gu Jingyong knew what she meant and explained briefly.
"So you're one of the very few." Tan Xinger thought of the zombie that exploded out of nowhere. Besides the typical superpowers in fantasy novels, there was no other explanation.
"The top one hundred players, more or less, can obtain skills. Some people have invisibility, and some can manipulate certain elements."
Seeing Tan Xinger looking very interested, Gu Jingyong continued.
"What do you manipulate then?"
Tan Xinger thought for a moment, finding nothing quite fitting.
"Air."
Gu Jingyong said casually, but his words made Tan Xinger extremely excited.
"Then you must be invincible!" Tan Xinger felt Gu Jingyong was radiating golden light all over his body, what a strong backing he had!
"Not really. Every use of the skill consumes a tremendous amount of energy. Once it's overused, you'll die instantly."
Gu Jingyong's simple words made Tan Xinger imagine the scene of instant death, and she immediately shook her head.
"Young lady, you need to control yourself."
"..."
Gu Jingyong's lips moved, but he didn't say anything.
Glancing at her through the rearview mirror, he saw the light returning to her eyes, indicating she had recovered almost completely.
"Is there anything else uncomfortable?"
"No, I'm just having a bit of trouble breathing. Should I stay away from you?"
Tan Xinger glanced at Gu Jingyong, feeling it wasn't her imagination; the airflow around seemed abnormal.
Gu Jingyong's peripheral vision caught Tan Xinger tugging at her collar as if she couldn't breathe, as if she were really struggling to breathe. He felt a moment of black lines across his forehead.
The next second, friction sounded, and the windows on both sides slowly rolled down. Gu Jingyong reached out to turn off the air conditioning, his movements smooth and fluid, catching Tan Xinger off guard.
The heat from outside rushed in, as it was approaching afternoon, the hottest time of the day.
The dazzling sunlight came down, and Tan Xinger was dazzled by the reflection in the mirror, immediately avoiding her gaze.
With no windows blocking and the sound of the air conditioning running, the zombies' screams outside seemed particularly loud, and the exhaust fumes drifted into the car.
Tan Xinger bravely glanced back a few times, then immediately retracted her gaze.
"Um, maybe we should close the windows."
Tan Xinger poked her finger, feeling a bit embarrassed as she looked at Gu Jingyong.
"No need, just get some fresh air."
Gu Jingyong tugged at the corner of his mouth, a typical fake smile, but it made him look much more energetic.
Tan Xinger didn't want to disturb him driving, so she quietly fastened her seatbelt, feeling the kiss of the heat wave, admiring the car's persistent "long-distance runner" behind, feeling a bit melancholy.
In a place she didn't notice, Gu Jingyong watched her making thumbs-up gestures to the zombies, his lips curled up involuntarily, but quickly returned to normal.
His hand on the steering wheel moved slightly, and thinking of Tan Xinger's flushed face from the heat wave, he reached out and pressed a button, and the windows slowly rose, and the air conditioning continued to run.
Tan Xinger was startled and heard the familiar buzzing sound again. She turned around in surprise to look at Gu Jingyong, chuckling foolishly.
The warm atmosphere didn't last long. As the car drove on the suburban road, more and more cars were parked haphazardly.
Countless rear-end collisions blocked the way, and the wandering zombies followed the noise, flocking here.
Gu Jingyong drove the car steadily on the road, unaffected by the approaching zombies. One by one, they were mercilessly knocked aside by the car and then trampled over.
Tan Xinger held onto the car door tightly, feeling the vehicle's bumps, and could even imagine the angle and force when the wheels passed over the zombies.
But she didn't sympathize with the zombies because she didn't want to fall into their hands.
The scene was too bloody, and soon the windows were covered with bloodstains, and bloody handprints trailed long tails.
"If you're uncomfortable, just close your eyes."
Gu Jingyong looked at the zombies rushing towards them and turned the steering wheel sharply, making the car tilt around the bend.
Tan Xinger, hanging onto the car door, looked a bit pale. Hearing his words, she just shook her head.
"I can endure it, don't worry about me."
She freed up a hand to balance herself as the car rotated.
"Stay steady."
Gu Jingyong didn't look at her anymore, focusing on the gathering zombies ahead and the crowded cars. The road ahead was completely blocked, and they could only rely on brute force to break through.
Gu Jingyong stepped on the accelerator, and the car rushed forward at the fastest speed, knocking down the zombies, and the bodies piled up on the car window like dumplings.
Some were knocked onto the car roof, and for a moment, all the sounds mixed together, and Tan Xinger's head was in chaos, unable to distinguish east from west.
"Bang."
After a loud noise, the car staggered forward, and Tan Xinger was thrown out, only to be pulled back by the seatbelt.
Her head felt like it was riding waves, thankfully she hadn't eaten anything, or it would have been another death scene.
After the wheels ran over the last zombie, the car finally stabilized, with more noise, creaking and creaking.
Tan Xinger breathed a sigh of relief and slumped back in her seat, looking to her left, she saw Gu Jingyong sitting straight, his face as calm as ever, not even his grip on the steering wheel was tense.
"Are you really not feeling dizzy?"
Tan Xinger asked with her last bit of breath.
"If you've ever fallen from a 300-meter cliff into the sea and then been rolled by waves for three hours, you wouldn't feel dizzy either."
Gu Jingyong slowly reduced the speed of the car, driving steadily, and took some time to answer her question.
"I don't believe it. How could anyone survive that?"
Tan Xinger said without thinking. Falling from a 300-meter cliff into the sea and then running for three hours, how could anyone still be alive?
"That's why I died a long time ago."
Gu Jingyong smiled, looking at her seriously.
"Then are you a ghost?"
"Yeah."