Li Yue sprawled on the lounge chair by the resort pool, eyes closed, basking in the warm sunset as she took another leisurely sip from her coconut drink. After a day of absolute indulgence—horseback riding, spa treatments, full-body massage—she was feeling like a new person, and her mood was as shiny as her freshly polished toenails. If only the world wasn't about to end.
She sighed, lamenting the loss of all this luxury. In three days, it would be over. The world as she knew it would descend into chaos, and all these pristine white towels, sparkling pools, and gourmet buffets would be overrun by the walking dead. The thought alone made her shiver, not from fear, but from the inevitable mess.
Li Yue threw a glance at Sir Edmund Pawtipurr, who lounged next to her in a cat bed fit for feline royalty. He yawned dramatically, as if to say, "You're thinking too much again."
"Not even the end of the world can ruin a spa day," she muttered, scratching his chin. He purred but looked at her with clear disdain. Perhaps it was because she had spent the entire day playing around the resort, leaving him unattended.
Li Yue arrived in the resort, fully aware of the ticking doomsday clock, and decided she would milk every last drop of enjoyment before everything went to hell. Literally.
First stop: the spa. Treatments from head to toe, who knew when she'd get another chance to pamper herself? She left that place feeling her soft skin, smooth like a peeled egg. Her hair, the silkiest it has ever been. She even tried the resort's famous full-body massage, which made Li Yue feel like an entirely different person afterwards. One who didn't have to worry about zombies and grime.
Afterwards, the resort's unique horseback riding experience caught her eye. As a proud member of the Sichuan Tang Clan from the Central Plains, riding horses was part of her education, so naturally, she had galloped a few laps around the course with ease.
She might have 0.5 fighting force right now, but boy, could she ride a horse. After that, she took a dip in the resort's hot spring to relax her sore muscles, her worries temporarily forgotten in the bliss of the water's warmth.
She ended her day sprawled lazily by the pool, Li Yue took a final glance at the fading sun.
Li Yue washed up for the night after all the day's enjoyment and flopped herself in the soft bed. When drowsiness hit, Li Yue slept promptly with the afterthought of taking advantage of the public transport to travel to her parent's farmhouse tomorrow. It was better for her to set off early.
However, plans can never keep up with reality. Li Yue woke up with a sated and pleasant face, looking forward to the hotel's breakfast buffet. Except, her pleasant face crumpled when she got out of the bath and heard the chaos that was escalating downstairs.
She padded over to the balcony, slid the door open, and peeked out.
Bad idea. Very bad idea.
A group of what had once been vacationers was now staggering through the pool area, their eyes dull and lifeless, their skin mottled and gray. One of them—a woman still in her swimsuit—tripped and fell face-first into the pool with a horrifying splash.
Li Yue cringed. "That's just... unhygienic."
That brief glimpse caused her goosebumps to rise and her stomach to churn.
What else was capable of eliciting such a horrifying reaction from her? It could only be the undead.
It's here. The apocalypse has arrived.
It arrived three days early. Chaos didn't even have a decency to wait until after her vacation ended. Talk about rude.
She quickly closed the door, retreating back into the room. Sure, she had mentally prepared for this, but knowing about the apocalypse and actually seeing people turn into walking compost piles were two very different things.
Okay, Li Yue, deep breaths. Don't panic. You've got this.
But her carefully laid-out plan to flee to her parents' farmhouse was unraveling faster than Sir Edmund's enthusiasm for life. Li Yue forced herself to be calm and thought of what she needed to do next. Her fighting power has only upgraded to 0.5 and she couldn't drive. But she needed to get out of this place and travel to her farmhouse before it becomes even more chaotic.
The roads were probably still passable, but public transport? No way. She wasn't about to spend the next few hours in a bus full of people who could turn into zombies at any moment.
It seems Li Yue can only… walk.
Li Yue groaned. "I hate walking."
She threw a glance at Sir Edmund, who stretched lazily on the bed. "You ready to go, fluffy?" His blank stare said it all—he had no plans of cooperating.
No choice. She'd have to stuff him into his specially designed, apocalypse-proof backpack carrier. It was scratch-resistant, chew-resistant, and—most importantly—zombie-proof.
"Just in case you decide to go feral on me," she muttered while securing him inside.
As for the issue of weapons, she didn't have her handy daggers nor her hidden weapons to throw around. And they weren't exactly fit for fighting off things that require their heads to separate from their bodies.
Those weapons were more effective against living people.
Long bladed weapons were better, but Li Yue wasn't able to procure that. There were no spears as well. Li Yue was able to buy baseball bats, she even wrapped barbed around them just like those in the movies she remembered. But Li Yue felt that they would cause too much of a mess.
She wonders if her psyche could tolerate blood, bits of flesh, and other inexplicable fluids flying about. After all, Li Yue had no intention of having bits of zombie stuck in her hair.
But I have no choice. The baseball bat is the best thing for me to use as weak chicken with 0.5 fighting power. Li Yue lamented to herself.
Before heading out, Li Yue caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Hair neatly tied up, apocalypse-ready backpack in tow. "You've got this," she told her reflection, though she wasn't entirely convinced.
Quietly, she cracked open the door and peeked out. The hallway was eerily quiet, though she could still hear distant screams from the pool area. Most of the guests seemed to have barricaded themselves inside their rooms. Not the worst strategy, she mused, but it wouldn't last long. Once the zombies got hungry...
Shaking off the thought, she tiptoed down the stairs. Taking the elevator was out of the question. Who knows what horrors could be waiting for her when the doors opened?
Successfully arriving on the first floor, Li Yue's breath hitched. A few zombies staggered aimlessly across the lobby, bumping into furniture and each other like malfunctioning robots. Their eyes were completely black, and some had chunks of flesh missing. The smell was unbearable, like a combination of rotting garbage and old gym socks. Gross. Just gross.
Li Yue momentarily froze; she had dealt with jiangshis before. They were no different from zombies but they only smelled terrible. They weren't this…dirty.
She felt her hands twitch. She wanted so badly to spray them with disinfectant, maybe set them on fire for good measure. But no, no time for that. She had to get to the stables.
Her heart pounded as she slipped through the lobby, sticking close to the walls to avoid detection. The side door leading to the stables was thankfully clear. Who in their right mind would be heading to the stables during a zombie apocalypse? Modern people always ran for cars, thinking they'd escape on the road. But horses? They were the perfect solution. Silent, fast, and reliable. Plus, she had practiced yesterday.
As she reached the stables, she was relieved to find no zombies, though the horses were panicking, stomping and whinnying in their pens. She spotted the one she had ridden the day before, still looking as majestic and un-zombified as ever.
"You're my ticket out of here," she said, patting its neck.
Quickly, she saddled the horse, securing her bag and making sure Sir Edmund was snug inside his carrier. The cat let out an annoyed meow.
"You're fine," Li Yue grumbled as she checked her phone's GPS. Her parents' farmhouse was a couple of hours away by car. How long it was by horse, she currently had no clue. There was no telling what she'll encounter on the road. Considering time, the horse wasn't exactly ideal, but it was better than walking.
With one final glance back at the resort which had already become a zombie-infested nightmare, she urged the horse forward, riding through the gates and onto the main road. The screams and groans faded behind her as she sped away from the chaos.
The apocalypse had arrived, but Li Yue was prepared.
Sort of.
As she galloped down the empty road, a thought crossed her mind.
I didn't even get to try the breakfast buffet.