The resort Li Yue stayed at was situated the foot of a mountain range, a scenic getaway located about a 45-minute drive from the city center. It was a tranquil retreat designed for people wanting a break from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy nature at the same time. The resort boasted surrounded by dense forest, with hiking trails leading up to the mountain slopes, and the air is crisp with a faint scent of pine and earth.
It was also the perfect place for zombies to ruin her day. Because, of course, that's what happened.
Li Yue was now on the road to the city, which wound through farmlands, a few scattered homes, and the occasional commercial stop. Her trusty horse trotted along the wide, empty road, and while the scenery was pleasant, the eerie silence was anything but.
"If it weren't so quiet that my horse's gallops sound like cannon fire, this would actually be a pretty nice ride," Li Yue muttered to herself. Unfortunately, her paranoia wasn't misplaced. Every clang of a hoof echoed like a dinner bell for the undead.
She had been riding for over an hour since leaving the resort when she approached a small commercial stop about halfway between the resort and the city. This stop, usually quiet and mundane, with a convenience store and a few local vendors, had transformed into a zombie-infested nightmare.
Of course, it had. Why wouldn't it? Her luck was just that fantastic today.
The air suddenly shifted. The horse whinnied nervously, and Sir Edmund Pawtipurr, who had been lounging on her back like he was royalty, hissed. Li Yue glanced up and immediately regretted it. Several zombies—some with heads intact, some...less so—had zeroed in on her, their eyes gleaming with all the excitement of a toddler spotting cake.
"Oh, wonderful. Just what I needed."
She urged her horse to go faster, but it was too late. A mutated chihuahua—because why wouldn't a zombie apocalypse include tiny, terrifying dogs—barked ferociously and bolted after them with unnatural speed. Her poor horse panicked, rearing up in terror and throwing Li Yue off balance. She hit the ground with a solid thud, while her steed galloped off into the distance, the zombie chihuahua hot on its heels.
"Great! Yeah. Just leave me here," she groaned, pulling herself up from the dirt. The groans of the approaching zombies were growing louder, and she grimaced as she felt their presence closing in.
With no horse, no easy escape, and her body screaming from the fall, she did the only thing she could. She pulled out a barbed baseball bat she kept in her storage ring, just in case.
She shuddered and took out the barbed baseball bat from her storage ring. Left with no choice, Li Yue could only fight her way through.
Li Yue and fighting zombies do not mix. Yet here she was, fighting zombies.
Five of them staggered on the road, with their blackened eyes lifeless, and erratic movements. Their stench hit her first. The rancid, metallic odor of blood mixed with rot clawed at her throat, forcing her to suppress a gag.
It was worse than a punch in the gut.
Deep breaths. Deep breaths. They're just jiangshis. You fought them before.
She gave herself a mental pep talk and gripped the baseball bat. Her boots dug onto the ground as she turned to the corner of the nearest approaching zombie.
The first zombie lunged at her, all rotting flesh and gnashing teeth. "Ugh!" Li Yue squealed, swinging the bat with all her might. It connected with the zombie's head, and there was a sickening crack as it crumpled to the ground.
"Okay, that wasn't so bad," she muttered. Unfortunately, the noise seemed to rouse the others. One by one, the zombies shuffled toward her.
That swing took all of her strength. The strength that was the result of almost a month's worth body strengthening medicinal baths, breathing, and martial exercises. Something she diligently did despite her body protesting like an overworked black corporation slave.
Li Yue is now able to fend off zombies in a one-on-one fight with her slightly hardy limp noodle body. Though it wasn't actually a one-on-one fight right now.
"Are you serious right now?" Li Yue groaned. "Can't you all just line up or take a number?"
Reluctantly, she swung her bat again, but it was already covered in...things. Blood. Bits. Grime. The thought of touching it again made her want to hurl, but the zombies weren't going to wait for her to find a less revolting weapon.
These zombies were nothing like the jiangshis she fought back then. They were clumsy, but their unpredictability made them dangerous. The jiangshis in the Central Plain most often than not had some demonic cultivators controlling them from behind. Li Yue only needed to deal with the controller and then grudgingly dispose of the jiangshis, then she'll be done for the day. These zombies were all DIY and much, much messier.
"Why is this apocalypse so dirty?" she growled, as she sidestepped to avoid the suspicious liquid that splattered off towards her. As another zombie closed in, Li Yue swung her bat again, catching it in the head and sending more blood flying—straight onto her shoes.
Her beautiful, pristine shoes.
"Ahhh! Disgusting!" she shrieked, hopping backward to avoid more splatter. But there was no escape from the filth. These zombies were relentless, and worse, they didn't care about her cleanliness standards.
As she dodged and struck again, her bat lodged into the ground, stuck among the grime. And to make matters worse, blood splattered onto her face this time.
Li Yue froze, her brain short-circuiting as the horror of her situation sank in. She let go of the bat like it had personally offended her and wiped her face with shaking hands. "Shower. I need a shower. A very, very hot one."
She stumbled away from the carnage, her skin crawling with every drop of zombie goo. The zombies were gone, but the trauma remained. Li Yue fumbled in her storage ring, pulling out sanitizers and wipes. With trembling hands, she scrubbed at her face and arms, muttering to herself as she poured alcohol sanitizer over everything.
Li Yue was trembling, not from fear, but from the sheer revulsion of what she was being forced to endure, along with an inexplicable rising anger.
How on earth am I supposed to fight these things without wanting to bleach everything afterward?
"This is a nightmare. First my horse runs off, now my weapon's stuck in the dirt, and my shoes—my poor shoes!" She groaned, glancing down at the mess. "I should've stayed in bed today. Checked the almanac or something."
Sir Edmund meowed, his serene, unbothered attitude only making things worse. "I envy you, you know," she grumbled. "You're so comfy."
Just as she was starting to regain her composure, a sharp bark echoed through the air. Li Yue's head snapped toward the source of the noise, her heart sinking.
"Fuck!" She muttered in anger and panic. Her head snapped to the source and found the mutated chihuahua who chased her horse to God knows where facing her with a ferocious growl.
The zombie chihuahua was back.
Are you kidding me? You've had enough of my horse so now it's my turn.
Li Yue glared at the dog, flustered inside. In her haste, she took out whatever she could in her ring. A cordless vacuum cleaner suddenly appeared in her hands just as the chihuahua jumped in to attack her.
Almost as a reflex, and not really noticing what she was holding, Li Yue smacked the vacuum cleaner on the attacking mutated dog with such a force that its little body was thrown away a few meters with a small whine.
Seeing her opponent down, Li Yue didn't think twice and sprinted off towards what seemed to be a diversion road. Sir Edmund meowed again, seemingly approving of her choice.
Sir Edmund Pawtipurr meowed lowly in her back as she run off with all her might clutching her beloved Shark Eco vacuum cleaner. Her heart bleeding at the state it was now in.