Chapter 15: Desertion in the Face of Battle

Just a few days ago, it was a zombie like this one that broke into the cafeteria, causing the sudden death of seven gifted individuals! And it was precisely from the corpse core of that zombie that I gained my current abilities!

“Jiang Yi! Are you alright?” Guo Hanxue had never seen an advanced-level zombie before, but that did not stop her from feeling that bone-chilling terror the instant she saw it.

Earlier, when Jiang Yi was attacked, she didn’t even have the courage to fight back. The terrifying aura of the zombie pressed upon them both, making it hard to breathe. Yet the creature showed no hesitation. Ignoring Guo Hanxue behind it, it roared and charged straight at Jiang Yi!

Instinctively, Jiang Yi stepped back two paces, ready to run... but at that moment, the sound of an arrow slicing through the air rang out. A charcoal steel arrow pierced the zombie woman’s neck!

“Roar!” Its vital spot struck, the fattened advanced zombie exploded with rage! Its stiff arms couldn’t reach the attacker behind it, so it continued lunging at Jiang Yi!

Jiang Yi, who had been ready to flee, paused in surprise at Guo Hanxue’s miraculous shot. Looking at the arrow shaft lodged in the zombie’s neck, a bold thought surged within him: “We can win!”

The terrifying zombie closed the distance in a few strides, its sharp fingers curling like beast claws, raised high to swipe at Jiang Yi!

Jiang Yi shouted back, retreating, “Skull Cutter!” A jet-black tang sword materialized before him. With his left hand gripping the hilt, his right hand bracing the blade’s back, he prepared to strike.

“Scrape!” The sharp nails scraped along the black blade, spraying tainted blood. Jiang Yi spat out a mouthful of clotted blood; the black blade nearly slipped from his grasp. But seeing three of the zombie’s fingers severed, he was deliriously excited.

If he could really injure this zombie, then victory might be possible. Yet even wielding a weapon, Jiang Yi knew he was still no match for it.

Repeated heavy strikes felt like blades slicing his internal organs. Without the will to stay conscious, these wounds could have knocked him out. The zombie’s furious roar echoed. Although losing fingers didn’t hurt, the strange sensation told it it had been wounded by this little ant before it. Ignoring its injured palm, the squat female zombie, bearing a glowing red crystal, wildly charged at Jiang Yi!

Clutching his sword tightly, Jiang Yi used his more agile body to dodge the zombie’s frenzied attacks. He hadn’t forgotten that he still couldn’t resist the zombie’s virus.

If it caught him, his fate would be far worse than death.

“Whoosh!” Another arrow shot out. Guo Hanxue’s support had arrived again! Though trembling and too terrified to fully draw the bow, she gritted her teeth and shot.

The second arrow flew straight into the zombie’s back of the head! The terrifying arrow force struck heavily, but with a dull thud, the long arrow only pierced the skin before bouncing off the hard skull.

Guo Hanxue stared in disbelief at the zombie biting into Jiang Yi. How could her arrow fail to penetrate? What kind of monster was this?

Jiang Yi’s smile, just about to break through, froze. He couldn’t believe an advanced zombie could withstand the power of a bow and arrow! With its vital spot attacked, the zombie grew more violent, recklessly attacking Jiang Yi.

With caution, he could only hold his sword and carefully dodge its strikes. Guo Hanxue recovered from her shock, seeing Jiang Yi struggling, and gritted her teeth, drawing her bow once more.

Jiang Yi, seeing this from across, shouted, “Don’t aim for the head, shoot the knees!”

Guo Hanxue hesitated briefly but instinctively released her arrow...

---

“Thunk!” The soft bend of the knee was instantly pierced! Struggling to support with a foreign object lodged in its leg, the advanced zombie screamed and dropped to one knee. Jiang Yi’s eyes brightened; disregarding his exhaustion, he swung his sword at the zombie’s neck!

“Roar!” The zombie bellowed, suddenly raising its head. Its relatively intact left hand grabbed the black sword, and the dark Skull Cutter sliced into its palm but got stuck as the zombie clenched its fist tightly.

Jiang Yi gritted his teeth and tried to pull out the blade but couldn’t budge it an inch. Instead, the zombie dragged him forward, scraping his feet against the ground.

Shocked at the zombie’s strength, Jiang Yi felt powerless against its terrifying force. As it was about to grab him, he decisively let go and rolled away, escaping its attack range!

At that moment, Guo Hanxue’s fourth arrow shot out, piercing the zombie’s other thigh!

“Roar!” Unable to stand, the zombie finally noticed the ‘little crawler’ messing with it from behind! Grabbing Jiang Yi’s sword, it turned and roared at Guo Hanxue, dragging itself on its knee. Its palm, missing three fingers, scratched wildly towards her.

For the first time facing the advanced zombie, Guo Hanxue felt as if a mountain pressed down on her. She even sensed an illusion of immobility.

“Don’t come closer!” Panicked, she nocked another arrow and screamed, shooting at the zombie! But the sharp bow and arrow caused little damage upon piercing its body.

Jiang Yi gritted his teeth, wanting to advance, but his vision darkened and he nearly fell. Supporting himself on the wall, he coughed violently until blood filled his mouth, finally catching his breath. But he was utterly exhausted, unable even to run. Guo Hanxue fired several arrows, her face pale as paper.

None could deliver a lethal shot. She reached behind and found no arrows left. Terrified, she turned to run but unexpectedly tripped over her own feet.

She flew forward, sliding far across the ground before stopping.

Her arm burned with intense pain. She wiped it, only to find her hand soaked in blood.

“Jiang Yi, save me!” The pain overwhelmed Guo Hanxue, making her unusually weak. Instinctively, she called out to Jiang Yi, leaning against the wall for support.

Jiang Yi saw the zombie crawling closer to Guo Hanxue and shouted, ready to rush forward! But a sharp pain in his ribs felt like they were breaking; any big movement tore through him like he was being ripped apart.

“Damn it!” Knowing his condition was dire, Jiang Yi’s face darkened like still water. He looked at Guo Hanxue crawling away and, without a backward glance, turned and ran!

Hearing footsteps, Guo Hanxue turned in hope but was shocked to see Jiang Yi’s receding figure. She couldn’t believe he would abandon her and flee!

“No!” At that moment, her heart felt torn to pieces by claws. She refused to believe the person she trusted just last night would desert her now.

“Jiang Yi, don’t go! Save me!” Guo Hanxue screamed hoarsely.

A wave of grievance flooded her heart, tears streaming uncontrollably. Her weakened body refused to obey, and the advanced zombie roared, lunging at the tender flesh before it.

Unbeknownst to it, the black sword it held tightly had vanished without a trace!

“No! Don’t come closer!” Unable to stand, Guo Hanxue crawled, trying to distance herself from the monster, unaware of its terrifying speed.

---

Despite its injured legs, the advanced zombie crawled faster than Guo Hanxue. Suddenly, she felt her ankle tighten. Turning back, she saw the strange zombie gripping her ankle, pulling her back!

As if aware a delicious breakfast was imminent, the advanced zombie raised its head, locking eyes with Guo Hanxue, and twisted a sinister smile...

“Ah!” Guo Hanxue struggled wildly, kicking its arms relentlessly. “Let me go! Let me go!”

Her frantic screams echoed through the dormitory building. The surviving zombies began roaring wildly. Even those outside, initially dispersing, instinctively pounded on the locked doors.

The advanced zombie possessed immense strength. No matter how fiercely Guo Hanxue fought, it was unstoppable as its gaping jaws lunged for her.

“No!” Guo Hanxue’s mind was blank. She could only scream incessantly...

“Thunk!” Foul blood splattered, covering her face. Her tightly shut eyes flew open, and she saw a black blade no more than five centimeters from her eye. Dark blood dripped from its tip onto her arm...

“Roar!” The advanced zombie realized someone had stabbed a blade behind its neck! Jiang Yi gripped the sword with all his might, preventing the fat zombie from pushing itself up.

The black sword lay horizontal. Gritting his teeth, Jiang Yi tried to sever the monster’s head but found its neck incredibly tough. Even with all his strength, he couldn’t inflict a fatal wound.

The zombie’s violent struggle threatened to slip off the blade. Guo Hanxue, stunned by Jiang Yi’s sudden reappearance, momentarily forgot to flee.

Summoning all his strength to control the zombie, Jiang Yi saw Guo Hanxue staring blankly and roared furiously, “Stop staring! Run!”

Guo Hanxue trembled, hastily wiping her eyes, gritting her teeth to crawl away despite the pain in her ankle.

Seeing the prize slipping from reach, the terrifying female zombie struggled wildly. Jiang Yi, holding its neck, swayed with its thrashing body, nearly thrown off several times. He tried again but still couldn’t cut through. Realizing he couldn’t kill it alone, he glanced toward Guo Hanxue seated in the distance.

An idea struck him. He yanked the long arrow embedded in the zombie’s back and flung it toward Guo Hanxue. She had just calmed down from her fright and looked up at Jiang Yi, who was locked in a deadly stalemate with the advanced zombie.

Remembering how he had abandoned her earlier, Guo Hanxue’s defiance surged.

“Serves you right if you get bitten and die!” she thought bitterly...