Chapter 11

"Clang!"

The cat-faced old woman leaped onto the dining table, staring at the zombie in front of her with an expression of disbelief.

Li Zhuiyuan took this opportunity to quickly spit out the dried fruit in his mouth, his hands instinctively pressing against his forehead. Having that dried fruit in his mouth had felt like chewing on a mouthful of star anise.

But now, he realized he could no longer make sense of the situation.

He could understand the cat-faced old woman holding a birthday banquet here, and he had even tried to use the rules of this place to bluff his way through.

But what was the deal with this zombie that had appeared out of nowhere?

This was a special environment that was like a dream but not quite a dream; shouldn't this be her home turf?

Li Zhuiyuan didn't believe that the old woman was holding her birthday celebration and felt it was too dull, so she decided that hiring a troupe of child performers wasn't enough and invited a zombie to help liven things up.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan felt incredibly stupid, like a bottom-of-the-class student.

He was still struggling to understand the problem the teacher was explaining, and then the teacher added, "Now let's look at another problem, it's a variation of this one, let's discuss them together."

Li Zhuiyuan felt even more bewildered.

However, what Li Zhuiyuan didn't know was that the cat-faced old woman standing on the table with a grave expression was even more bewildered... and even terrified.

Because even if the opponent just stood there without moving, the baleful aura radiating from its body was enough to make her heart tremble.

White mist continuously surged from the zombie's mouth and nose. It seemed to be curiously observing the surroundings, and finally, it fixed its gaze on the cat-demon old woman.

Sensing that she was being targeted by this terrifying entity, the old woman’s body shuddered. Her arms retracted slightly, her fingers curled downward, and her whole body crouched lower, as if in a gesture of submission.

She had only recently become a corpse demon; suddenly facing such an existence that was loathed by heaven and earth, she naturally felt fear, to the point where she couldn't even muster the courage to resist.

"Why are you here? Where did I offend you?"

...

"Huh?"

Li Sanjiang, who was leading zombies in a workout in the Forbidden City, scratched his head in confusion. He had just been turning a corner with his team. Originally, the team had three rows, with three zombies in each row, but in this last row, why were there only two left now?

"How is there one less zombie? Do zombies get tired and slack off too?"

...

"Roar!"

The zombie extended its arms together, leaped into the air, and lunged straight at the old woman.

Why would it care about the old woman's display of weakness and flattery? What a joke—it didn't even know why it was here!

Seeing this, the old woman had no choice but to bite the bullet, leap up, and lash out with her claws.

The two engaged in a struggle above the table, and finally, they both crashed down onto it. In an instant, the table shattered and flew apart.

Fortunately, Li Zhuiyuan had already left the table to avoid the risk. He immediately ran to Qin Li, and seeing that she was still watching the fight, he grabbed her hand

"Stop watching, hurry and hide!"

He pulled Qin Li to a corner where some tabletop boards were stacked, which could provide a sense of security.

After crawling in and crouching down, Li Zhuiyuan observed the battle through a gap.

He saw the old woman dodge to the side, relying on her cat-like agility to avoid the penetration of the zombie's ten fingers, and then she slashed her claws across the zombie's right arm.

"Rip!"

The zombie's clothes were torn open, and five claw marks appeared on the dark, pitted flesh underneath, with pus continuously oozing from the wounds.

But soon, the zombie swept its arms horizontally like a heavy whip, striking the old woman.

"Bang!"

The old woman was sent flying, slamming heavily into the wall. After sliding down to the ground, she stared blankly at her own fingers, then looked up at the wounds on the zombie's body.

"Why... it's not as terrifying as I felt?"

...

On the bed on the second floor, Li Sanjiang had a scratch on his right arm, and blood was flowing out.

"Hiss! It hurts!"

In his dream, Li Sanjiang, who was leading the zombies in a workout, lost his balance due to the pain and fell to the left. All the zombies behind him followed suit, lying down to the left in perfect unison.

Li Sanjiang turned his head in confusion to look at the three zombies in the first row behind him

"Which one of you is ambushing me?"

The three zombies didn't answer, but instead turned their heads to look behind them, and all the zombies behind them followed suit.

"Damn it, does getting hurt in a dream hurt this much?"

Li Sanjiang didn't have time to bandage his wound; he immediately climbed up and continued jumping.

He knew he couldn't give this group of zombies time to think clearly. Even if they rested for just a little longer, they might swarm over and tear him to pieces.

"Come on, keep jumping!"

...

"Roar!"

In the banquet hall, the zombie jumped toward the old woman again.

This time, the old woman didn't meet it head-on. Instead, her gaze swept across the room. Green, ghostly light flickered in her eyes, and the paper figures that had been standing stiffly all rushed toward the zombie.

Some grabbed the zombie's legs, some pulled its arms, and some even jumped onto its head.

The zombie began to wave its arms incessantly, biting and tearing, shredding several paper figures into scraps each time. But it simply couldn't keep up with the fact that the Great-Grandfather's family ran a paper-effigy factory.

Taking advantage of the paper figures hindering the zombie, the old woman began to circle around it. Finally, spotting an opportunity, she lunged behind the zombie and struck with both claws, raking them down its back.

"Rip!"

This time, most of the zombie's official robe was torn into strips, and pus gushed out from the ten claw-mark wounds.

...

On the bed in the second-floor bedroom, Li Sanjiang’s body stiffened, and blood began to seep from the straw mat beneath him.

"Damn it, it hurts!"

In the dream, Li Sanjiang had just started to jump when he let out a scream and fell face-first onto the ground.

Behind him, all the zombies jumped in unison, then landed flat on the ground like frogs.

"Ah..."

Li Sanjiang felt such pain in his back that he could barely speak, but he couldn't see it, so he instinctively reached his right hand back to touch it.

All the zombies behind him supported their bodies with their left arms and raised their right arms diagonally.

Li Sanjiang pulled his hand back and saw it covered in blood, his eyes widening.

This shouldn't be!

Yesterday, the dream was so dangerous, yet he could jump around and dodge the zombies' pursuit without a scratch. How was it that today, after coming up with a good plan, things were getting more miserable?

When he fell asleep today and found himself in the dream, still in the same Forbidden City environment as last night, he immediately kicked off the orange cat on his legs and ran quickly to the central gate.

After the heavy sound of the door opening ended and the "Bang! Bang! Bang!" sounds came from inside, he forced himself to stay calm, gathered his courage, and was the first to start jumping when the team approached.

Just like that, he successfully became the lead runner.

With such a clever plan, why didn't it lead to a good result?

At this moment, Li Sanjiang noticed that the zombies lying behind him were showing signs of wanting to spring up; the formation was starting to get messy.

He gritted his teeth. His back hurt so much that he really couldn't stand up anymore. He could only stand on his tiptoes, extend his arms forward, and start crawling on the ground.

The zombies in the first row behind him saw the leader move and followed suit, and those behind them copied the ones in front. Soon, the loose and chaotic team became uniform once again.

In the Forbidden City, a group of zombies wearing Qing Dynasty official robes were crawling like turtles, following the guy in front who was wearing tattered white boxers.

Li Sanjiang cursed as he crawled, feeling incredibly aggrieved. Crawling was much more tiring than running. If he had known, he would have just played hide-and-seek like yesterday!

He was old, and in reality, he lived a comfortable life with his wine and meat. Since he was already at this age, he couldn't be bothered to take care of his body; when his time was up, he'd just be buried. But now, look at this—he was running in a dream to exercise!

But now he really couldn't stand up. With the wounds on his arms and back, if he dared to stand up and play hide-and-seek, he wouldn't be able to outrun that group behind him.

"Little Yuan-hou, when will your luck finally turn around? Your Great-Grandfather really can't hold on much longer... Ah!"

Li Sanjiang let out another scream. He turned his head and saw that his already injured right arm now had five more holes, and blood was flowing out rapidly.

Now he couldn't even crawl properly. He had to keep his body pressed to the ground on his left side, with his right arm dangling, while his left arm kept pulling him forward on the ground, aided by the strength of his legs.

All the zombies behind him also changed their movements, starting to crawl tactically.

...

In the hall, the zombie was furious because the old woman's five fingers had just pierced its right arm, leaving deep, bloody holes.

It was a proud existence, yet it had been repeatedly humiliated in this place. How could it not be extremely angry?

The old woman stepped back, widening the distance, and ordered the paper cats and dogs to rush up and fill the gap, continuing to entangle the zombie.

She looked down at her own nails again. After several successful sneak attacks, the natural sense of fear she had felt earlier had mostly vanished.

No matter how terrifying something was, as long as it could be hurt, as long as it bled and could be killed, it no longer commanded such natural awe.

Hidden in the corner, Li Zhuiyuan frowned slightly. It looked like this zombie that had appeared out of nowhere wasn't a match for the old woman either.

What should he do next?

He turned his head to look at Qin Li beside him. She was actually looking down, seemingly uninterested in what was happening outside, still in a daze.

For a moment, Li Zhuiyuan felt a hint of envy.

He squeezed Qin Li's hand, and she looked up at him.

"Later, when the servants outside come in, we'll find a chance to rush out. Run as far as you can, and don't stop, understand?"

When the banquet started, Li Zhuiyuan had wanted to run out the main gate, but a group of servants standing outside were setting off firecrackers and blocking the road, so he couldn't get out.

But judging by the current situation, the old woman was clearly using the paper figures to delay and exhaust the zombie. Once the paper figures inside were mostly consumed, the batch outside would definitely be summoned in.

When that time came, he would just run. He didn't believe this dream had no boundaries.

As for the option of running to the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan dismissed it immediately. Although the stairs had appeared again, what could he do if he ran up there? Jump off the building?

Qin Li looked at Li Zhuiyuan without speaking.

"Did you understand?"

Qin Li lowered her head.

Fine, he would just assume she understood.

Just as Li Zhuiyuan turned his head back to continue observing the situation in front, he happened to meet the gaze of the cat-faced old woman looking toward them.

Li Zhuiyuan was startled, and the cat-faced old woman even smiled at him.

"Roar!"

The zombie let out another angry roar, drawing the cat-faced old woman's gaze away from Li Zhuiyuan.

"Hehe... it's useless no matter how much you roar. I really thought you were something impressive; it turns out you only have these few tricks... Hmm?"

The old woman's eyes widened. She saw thick black energy beginning to emerge from the zombie's wounds—that was baleful aura.

Those paper figures entangled around it turned black upon touching this baleful aura, losing their human shapes one by one and collectively reverting into scraps of paper and wood shavings.

The group of servants outside rushed in at this moment. The zombie turned around, opened its mouth, and spewed out a large amount of black mist. The paper figures nearby and further away all collapsed to the ground before they could even rush forward.

In an instant, the entire banquet hall became much emptier.

The zombie raised its arms again and leaped toward the old woman. At this moment, corpse energy was boiling around its body, and baleful aura swirled around it.

Without the help of the paper figures, the old woman had no choice but to meet it head-on.

Li Zhuiyuan grabbed Qin Li's hand: "This is the moment, run!"

He and Qin Li crawled out of the corner and rushed toward the door.

"Ahhh!!!"

A scream from the old woman reached his ears, and then he saw the zombie grabbing the old woman by the neck and slamming her down in front, blocking the way to the main gate.

The baleful aura on the zombie's body lingered on the old woman, actually producing a burning sensation. The old woman had been able to sneak attack at close range before, but now, getting close was agonizing.

Li Zhuiyuan had to stop, and Qin Li stopped beside him.

The zombie, having pinned the old woman to the ground, turned its head to look at the two children.

In its turbid eyes, a look of greed appeared. It could sense that these two were not paper figures; they exuded the scent of tempting flesh and blood.

It instinctively opened its mouth, spewing black mist that surged toward them.

Li Zhuiyuan immediately pulled Qin Li back, but the black mist came so fast and fiercely that it soon forced them into the corner of the wall.

Qin Li began to tremble, and Li Zhuiyuan sensed it, squeezing her hand tightly.

At this moment, this was all the pale, useless comfort he could give.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, the zombie let out a cry, and the black mist that had almost reached Li Zhuiyuan began to flow backward and retract rapidly.

The view in front suddenly became clear. It turned out that the old woman's ten fingers had already pierced into the zombie's neck.

"Hahahaha! Kill you, kill you, kill you!"

The old woman's fierce nature was fully revealed. The fur on her body had withered, and her skin was charred black, but her whole person exuded a sense of madness.

The zombie roared frantically, its arms stabbing down repeatedly, striking the old woman again and again, but the old woman just kept her fingers dug into its neck and wouldn't let go.

...

"Damn it... he..."

Li Sanjiang clutched his throat in pain. It hurt so much.

More painful than the pain was the fact that he couldn't breathe. He could find ways to endure pain and bleeding, but if this feeling of suffocation continued, he felt he would definitely die.

Behind him, all the zombies were clutching their own throats.

But after this posture lasted for a long time, one zombie lowered its hand, followed by the second, the third...

Gradually, some zombies began to stand up, their gazes shifting from bewildered to fierce as they looked at Li Sanjiang.

Li Sanjiang was still clutching his throat, his face turning blue. He actually wished these zombies would hurry up and pounce on him to tear him to pieces, because that would at least give him a quick end, sparing him from the agony of suffocating to death.

...

In the banquet hall, the angry zombie raised its arms high again and smashed them down toward the old woman's head.

The old woman, who had been prepared to die with the zombie, simply let go at this moment, kicked upward against the zombie's abdomen, and slid smoothly underneath it.

"Bang!"

The zombie's fingernails pierced into the ground, and for a moment, it was stuck, frozen in a stiff push-up position.

The cat-faced old woman stood up. Her body swayed, her whole body was charred black, and even the whiskers on her face had been burned away, showing how poor her condition was.

However, she was still able to be distracted at this moment, turning her head to look at Li Zhuiyuan and Qin Li, who were standing against the wall.

"Little ones, hehe, Grandma can't beat it."

Her call carried an eerie chill, and her eyes were full of resentment.

Just like the first time he saw her in his dream at Cui Cui's house, she was riding on Niu Fu's back, looking at him with the same gaze.

"Roar!"

The zombie finally pulled its fingers out of the ground, turned its body halfway around, and stood up stiffly.

Although it was in a sorry state, with tattered clothes and pus oozing everywhere, its fierce aura remained, something the current cat-demon old woman couldn't compare to.

The zombie lunged at the old woman again.

But at this moment, the old woman turned to the side, not to meet the zombie, but instead slid toward Li Zhuiyuan.

Seeing this, the zombie immediately turned around and continued to lunge at the old woman.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't understand why the old woman would rather expose her entire back to the zombie than deal with him first.

Was it that even before dying, she had to drag two people down with her?

"Little ones..."

The old woman stopped in front of Li Zhuiyuan, the eerie smile on her face growing more intense.

She completely ignored the zombie closing in on her and instead extended those claws—which had long since curled and cracked—toward Li Zhuiyuan, a faint, eerie luster shimmering on them.

Li Zhuiyuan felt his body begin to float, and because he was holding Qin Li's hand tightly, she floated along with him.

This feeling was not unfamiliar to Li Zhuiyuan; he had dreamed before, and this was the prelude to waking up from the dream, the moment of escape!

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan felt his vision begin to blur, and the old woman's face in front of him became less distinct, but he could still hear her final words in his ears

"Little ones... Grandma will send you off first."

(End of chapter)