Chapter 87

The intense fight paused.

The zombie was very proud of its thick skin that gave it extreme defense, while Shi Jian showed a look of disgust mixed with pity: that thick dead skin isn’t anything to brag about.

Tang Tian: ???

Other viewers: ???

...

【So it can be interpreted this way too? But I think I've been convinced by the big celebrity. Having that much dead skin where skincare products can’t be absorbed really is kind of sad.】

【Thanks to the streamer for the reminder—I just remembered I forgot to do skincare today. Putting my products on now; I didn’t buy them to let them expire.】

【Starting my skincare immediately +1】

【Who would've thought watching a horror game stream would also remind you to take care of your skin?】

【Perfect. I can finally recommend this to my timid friend as a reason to watch the stream.】

Even the audience started to feel a little sorry for the zombie, mostly because Shi Jian’s tone and expression were just too persuasive.

Of course, Shi Jian genuinely believed what she was saying.

Shi Jian continued, speaking to the zombie, “You know what dead skin is, right?”

The zombie didn’t respond. Shi Jian felt like it didn’t know, so Teacher Shi's mini lecture resumed.

She spoke confidently, “Dead skin, also known as keratin, usually doesn’t need to be exfoliated unless it builds up—then it causes dullness and uneven skin tone. Just look at how dull your skin is.”

Everyone’s eyes involuntarily drifted toward the zombie’s skin.

Indeed, it was very dull.

Teacher Shi wasn’t exaggerating at all—she was simply stating the facts.

The zombie’s skin was a bluish-black, duller than 99.99% of the national population.

【I'm dying laughing—Teacher Shi, please offer it a full exfoliation package.】

【Should the zombie ask the streamer for skincare advice now? (ps: from a viewer who became a fan right after the Train instance.)】

This whole bit was starting to feel like when Wang Shufen asked Shi Jian to teach her how to do makeup.

But this zombie wasn’t Wang Shufen. As a male zombie, it didn’t really care about appearance or undead hygiene.

Shi Jian’s lecture only left it momentarily confused, before it swiftly redirected its attack toward her.

It opened its bloody mouth and lunged at Shi Jian. Its two fangs were long and sharp, so long they stuck out even with its mouth closed.

It was easy to imagine how brutal one bite would be—

The other two female streamers had already grabbed whatever was near and started hurling it at the zombie. Tang Tian also pulled out her file folder prop.

Even viewers watching through the screen tensed up.

It looked seriously dangerous!

Throwing things obviously didn’t help—Shi Jian’s ultra-powerful chainsaw hadn’t left a scratch, so wooden sticks just snapped… and Tang Tian hadn’t even had time to use her file folder prop.Because she noticed that Shi Jian had used her chopsticks to pick up some vegetables and stuffed them into the zombie's mouth.

The tense fight paused again.

Tang Tian once again fell into deep thought—what the heck is this?

...

The reason there was food in the tent was because they had finally come across some "vegetables." The cook got overly excited and made too much food, which wasn’t finished.

The female streamer who did the cooking said it could be eaten as a late-night snack. Since she didn’t want it to get dirty outside, she covered it with a bowl and brought it into the tent, leaving it on the tray to the side.

Earlier, Shi Jian had casually picked up a bite with her chopsticks, and after the zombie opened its mouth at her, she stuffed the food in.

The zombie, though confused, still instinctively chewed since there was food in its mouth.

Shi Jian watched it eat with a cheerful smile. As soon as it opened its mouth again, she fed it another bite of vegetables and even offered some encouragement.

“Don’t be shy. Eat up.”

Thus came a bizarre yet comical scene—

The zombie was very close to Shi Jian and kept opening its mouth from time to time.

Yet instead of using those two sharp fangs to bite into her fair and slender neck, each time it opened its mouth, it received a bite of vegetables.

It turned into a full-on feeding session.

Despite its ferocious appearance, under these circumstances, the zombie actually looked… kind of obedient.

Bite after bite, mouthful after mouthful.

Feeder: Shi Jian.

Feeding subject: Zombie.

“Could it be that it likes vegetables?”

The other two streamers voiced their confusion.

The livestream chat exploded after a brief pause.

【Why am I suddenly a little jealous of the zombie??】

【Who could say no to a gorgeous woman feeding you by hand? Ughhhh.】

【Streamer, let go of that zombie and feed me instead!】

【Yo, this guy really knows how to enjoy life. (points at the zombie)】

【AAAAA I wish I could crawl into the screen and strangle that zombie. My wife’s feeding looks so sweet, huh? Wife, feed me! My stomach’s weak, I can only eat soft food.】

Just as Tang Tian and the other two streamers were about to question their entire existence, a sudden change occurred!

From the repeated feedings, the zombie had already developed a conditioned reflex. After finishing a bite, it still waited for the next one. It wasn’t that it had forgotten its target—it was just that being fed like this was unexpectedly relaxing.

No rush.

But it didn’t expect that Shi Jian had already swapped the vegetables for a brick that was used to anchor the tent.Shi Jian stuffed the brick straight into the zombie’s mouth.

She had figured it out—this thing’s most dangerous weapon seemed to be its mouth.

With the whole brick shoved inside, the zombie’s jaw shape changed. It struggled in a panic to get the brick out of its mouth.

Viewers who moments ago had been dying to be fed by Shi Jian: ...Forget it, never mind.

After executing the hand-fed sneak attack, Shi Jian immediately turned and shouted to Tang Tian and the others, “Run!”

Run for it, sisters.

With the most badass expression of a top-tier boss, she made the fastest escape within her ability.

All that feeding earlier was just a distraction—this was what Shi Jian really wanted to do.

Shi Jian: This thing’s completely immune to weapons. If we don’t run now, are we waiting around to get bitten?

Tang Tian and the others quickly caught on, “Oh oh oh!”

They got the message fast.

Tang Tian also activated her [Boss's Benefit] skill to freeze the zombie in place for a moment and buy them more time to escape.

The streamer closest to the tent’s entrance lifted the flap to let everyone out.

They needed to get far away from the zombie in the tent and make it to a safe zone.

The tent was small and cramped, and with a zombie inside, staying there felt suffocating.

Now that they were out in the open air again, breathing the scent of freedom and putting more distance between them and danger, everyone felt refreshed.

Even while running, Shi Jian maintained her expression control. Her smile at this moment was more genuine than ever—but the very next second, it nearly cracked apart.

Because—

“Why are there more zombies?!”

Shi Jian could almost start cursing.

It was already bad enough being kept from getting her beauty sleep in the middle of the night, but this was outrageous—not only was the zombie in the tent tough to deal with, it wasn’t even alone.

Out on the open ground outside the tent stood three more zombies. Now sensing their presence, all three turned their heads in unison to look at Shi Jian and her team.

Everyone was stunned. They’d thought they were done once they escaped the one in the tent.

Now they realized they had to face four.

Because the one inside the tent had already gotten the brick out of its mouth and was now roaring as it charged out after them.

Shi Jian’s team was now caught in a pincer attack from front and back.

Four streamers vs. four zombies.

Shi Jian: 4v4?!

But this wasn’t even the same playing field—they couldn’t fight the zombies at all.

Shi Jian’s scalp tingled. That only left one option: split up and run....

The scene was utter chaos for a moment. Shi Jian, in her high heels, ran fast; Tang Tian was also quick on her feet, so Shi Jian grabbed the nearest female streamer and ran together with her.

Behind them, two zombies hopped after them.

One of them was clearly the one Shi Jian had fed the brick to—its roar was the loudest, and its gaze the most fixated. It was completely obsessed with Shi Jian, going mad for her.

This time, Tang Tian wasn’t left out either—a zombie was hot on her heels as well.

Even while running, they managed to talk.

“These things are pretty fast, and they don’t even seem to get tired!”

Shi Jian had the advantage of Barbie-pink high heels, and Tang Tian was almost national-team level herself—neither of them was slow.

But somehow, the zombies were hopping just as fast.

The worst part was that Shi Jian and her group were using up stamina as they ran, so they couldn’t maintain top speed the whole time. Meanwhile, the zombies moved like perpetual motion machines.

They kept a steady pace.

Both Shi Jian and Tang Tian realized something serious—

Once they were too tired to keep running, the zombies would catch up.

They couldn’t fight them, and they couldn’t escape either.

This was completely different from the bloodsucking plants—these were chasing them down directly.

Shi Jian had toughened up a lot after seeing blood, but now her chainsaw was useless, and panic was setting in again.

They’d run into a real hard case.

At this moment, Tang Tian suddenly remembered her new skill. She quickly called out to Shi Jian and the others, “Over here, hurry!”

She wanted to make them invisible and see if they could hide while unseen.

Hearing Tang Tian’s voice, Shi Jian grabbed the streamer she was pulling along and rushed toward her. They had been running near the tent all along and hadn’t gotten too far.

Tang Tian’s new skill could only turn two people invisible besides herself, but the other female streamer had disappeared in the chaos. Shi Jian and the others didn’t know where she’d gone.

On the bright side, there hadn’t been any screams, so maybe nothing had happened to her yet.

After Tang Tian made Shi Jian and the other female streamer invisible, both the audience and the group themselves felt—

Maybe now they could finally breathe a little?

But in reality, even though the zombies could no longer see Shi Jian and Tang Tian’s group, they still came hopping straight toward them without hesitation.

Shi Jian’s pupils contracted sharply.

The female streamer next to her spoke with a trembling voice.

“Don’t they find us with their eyes?”

This was just too hard to deal with! Were they all going to die here today?

They had no choice—they had to keep running.Tang Tian saw Shi Jian take out a pet ball—a flashy, extravagant one. Shi Jian had always been willing to spend money on appearances.

Tang Tian looked surprised. “You’re letting out the Bride Ghost?”

Can the Bride Ghost deal with zombies?

Shi Jian answered honestly, “Probably not. But what if she can?”

The key point was: the Bride Ghost couldn’t see her right now. If she couldn’t see her, she couldn’t stab her.

Tang Tian: That “what if”... sounds so familiar. Definitely Shi Jian’s style.

...

The Bride Ghost, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, emerged in a flash of light. The first thing she did was scan her surroundings.

Old viewers and Tang Tian both knew what she was thinking.

She wanted to kill Shi Jian.

But Shi Jian was invisible.

So Tang Tian’s new skill was working.

The Bride Ghost didn’t find Shi Jian and showed a confused expression.

The zombies, however, barely glanced at the Bride Ghost. They fed on yang energy—she wasn’t in their range of attack and didn’t interest them.

So the zombies jumped right past the Bride Ghost and kept chasing Shi Jian and her group.

Shi Jian: Okay, letting her out was completely useless. This “what if” didn’t work this time.

But then the Bride Ghost blocked all four zombies.

Shi Jian: Eh? Spoke too soon.

But why was the Bride Ghost blocking the zombies? Was she about to launch indiscriminate attacks?

There’s no way she was protecting her summoner.

Shi Jian quietly explained to Tang Tian, “The Bride Ghost doesn’t have much rationality. She used to attack everyone indiscriminately—people and ghosts alike.”

Except for the ghosts who died tragically in the village.

Tang Tian seemed to understand at first, but soon told Shi Jian, “No, wait. I think she’s looking for you.”

The Bride Ghost seemed to be thinking, brows tightly furrowed. But then she acted—prying open a zombie’s mouth and sticking her head inside while calling out:

“Bad one?”

From her actions, it was clear she probably thought Shi Jian had been eaten.

The Bride Ghost didn’t just look inside the zombie’s mouth for Shi Jian—she even lifted the hat on top of the zombie’s head.

Shi Jian: “……”

Did she think Shi Jian could be hiding under a zombie’s hat?

The Bride Ghost blocked the zombies, and naturally, the zombies weren’t having it—so they began attacking her.The moment the Bride Ghost was bitten, Shi Jian instinctively furrowed her brows—but as soon as she saw the Bride Ghost rapidly recover and return to normal, her brows relaxed again.

The Bride Ghost and the zombies attacked each other, but it was a stalemate—neither could kill the other.

The Bride Ghost's sharp nails were useless against the zombies, and the zombies' fangs were useless against the Bride Ghost.

The Bride Ghost forcefully pried open each zombie’s mouth to inspect them—she had to find Shi Jian. Any zombie that resisted got slapped hard across the face.

The physical attack didn’t do damage, but the insult level was through the roof.

...

【Damn, tell me I’m not imagining things—why does her slapping posture look exactly like Shi Jian’s?】

【Spiritual pets take after their master?】

【What do you mean spiritual pet? This is clearly a CP.】

【Finally, the Bride Ghost is back—I'm fired up too. The moment she appeared, she called out her nickname for Shi Jian, "Bad One," laser-focused, only thinking of Shi Jian. And now she’s blocking the zombies—so touching! She clearly knows Shi Jian is behind her and in danger, but she’s proud, too proud to admit it—so she pretends not to know, shielding Shi Jian like this instead.】

【??? If I didn’t know the truth, I’d honestly believe that.】

Shi Jian wasn’t just standing around either—she noticed that all four zombies were here.

Then what about the other female streamer?

Could something really have happened to her?

Not far away, behind the zombies, the chef slowly stood up and waved her arms toward Shi Jian and the others to signal them.

Don’t worry, she’s still alive!

Shi Jian and the other two brightened when they saw the chef unharmed. Thank goodness.

They were all still alive.

Earlier, the chef had run like mad under threat of death. A zombie had been chasing her closely, but after she hid in a bush, it stood nearby for a while, then left.

Shi Jian and the others were confused—why had that worked?

The chef hiding in a bush and them turning invisible—it was the same concept: hiding.

Technically, invisibility was a more thorough disguise.

The chef had a theory. She mouthed to Shi Jian, “Could it be because I smell like chili?”

She had chopped up a lot of vampire plant-like chilies earlier to make dipping sauce, and now she reeked of spicy peppers.

Tang Tian’s eyes lit up. She looked at Shi Jian.

Could it be that the zombies tracked them by scent?

Shi Jian had already pulled out the slowest-fading, longest-lasting perfume from her bag and generously sprayed everyone with it.

A beauty has to pay attention to every detail—how could she not stockpile perfume?

Meanwhile, the Bride Ghost no longer blocked the zombies she’d finished inspecting.

Since “Bad One” wasn’t in them, she no longer needed to stop them.However, the zombie that had regained its freedom didn’t lunge toward Shi Jian and the others like before—it just stood there blankly, looking around, but didn’t detect their presence.

Shi Jian: So it is using scent to locate them.

Tang Tian lowered her voice and whispered to Shi Jian, “Let’s hurry to the bushes—our invisibility is about to wear off.”

Everyone rushed over and managed to dive into the bushes just a second before the invisibility effect ended.

The zombies still didn’t notice them, but Shi Jian clearly saw the Bride Ghost glance in her direction and start running over quickly.

Shi Jian: …How did she see me?

Also, why is she acting like a dog?

Still, dealing with the Bride Ghost was easy—Shi Jian opened the pet ball and recalled her inside.

Back in you go.

The Bride Ghost returned to the spirit pet ball.

...

The zombies lingered for quite a while, but once Shi Jian and the others confirmed that their scent was masked and they couldn’t be seen, they weren’t so anxious anymore.

And the zombies didn’t stay long either.

After a while, they scattered abruptly, as if fleeing from something, and hopped off into the depths of the forest.

“That was way too close.”

“These things are way creepier than the blood-sucking plants. My legs went weak earlier, and they’re still shaking now.”

After escaping danger, everyone couldn’t help but voice their relief.

Tang Tian wiped her sweat with a tissue. “Good thing we’re all safe now. If we keep walking fast and spray some perfume, maybe they won’t follow us again?”

It had been a harrowing experience, but no one was hurt—that was already lucky.

“I… I think I got bitten by a zombie…”

A tearful voice suddenly broke the calm. Shi Jian immediately looked toward the speaker.

It was the female streamer she had pulled along earlier. She held out her hand to show the wound.

There was a small bite mark on her index finger. Now, half the finger had turned dark and bluish-black, and the discoloration was slowly spreading upward.

Shi Jian could no longer maintain a composed expression. “What happened?”

The streamer said, “It was while we were running… I suddenly felt a sting on my finger, but didn’t think much of it at the time…”

Now she’d noticed the finger had changed color.

The chef said, “I can see the color is still creeping up… will it spread across her whole body…”

She stopped herself before finishing the sentence.

Like—what would happen if it did spread throughout the whole body?

It definitely wouldn’t be anything good.Because the zombie’s skin color was exactly the same as the female streamer’s, it looked like she had been infected by a zombie bite.

Maybe she would become the next zombie—lose all reason and attack Shi Jian and the others.

Zombies didn’t just have high stamina, speed, and health, along with thick skin—apparently, being bitten by one could also cause infection.

The female streamer’s voice had been on the verge of collapse just moments ago, but now she suddenly lowered her head for a few seconds. Then she said to the chef, “Lend me your knife.”

Her tone was firm and urgent.

The chef handed over the kitchen knife instinctively.

Everyone vaguely sensed what the streamer was about to do—but when she used a stone on the ground as a cutting board and, without hesitation, chopped off her own infected index finger, they were still shaken.

Sweating profusely from the pain but forcing out a smile after they handed her bandages and disinfectant, the female streamer told them:

“I don’t want to die, and I don’t want to become a zombie. Trading one finger for my life? Worth it!”

None of them were first-timers in dungeon scenarios. This really was the optimal choice.

Fingers couldn’t be regenerated with Flesh-Regen Pills, but maybe a prosthetic could be made. As long as you’re alive, there’s hope.

And after she cut off the finger, the toxin did stop spreading.

She recovered mentally quite quickly, and since everything was stable, Shi Jian and the others had no reason not to move forward.

The chef said, “Let’s head out quickly. We probably won’t be targeted again, and with some strong scents on us, they likely won’t find us.”

But Shi Jian said, “No.”

“If they’re not coming after us, then I’m going after them.”

Shi Jian looked at the streamer who had cut off her finger and asked, “Wanna make them your human rickshaw drivers?”

Fingerless streamer: ???

You can turn zombies into rickshaw drivers?

Still, she didn’t hesitate at all and shouted, “Yes!”

She’d never dared to resent zombies before—it was simply that she was too weak, and zombies were basically unkillable. But if she could enslave them? She’d gladly do it.

Shi Jian: Aren’t they perpetual motion machines? Aren’t they fast? Then they can be our personal transportation!

Audience: How’s that even supposed to work?!

Shi Jian looked at the first beam of light rising on the horizon and muttered, “Afraid of sunlight?”

Zombies weren’t afraid of normal light—there had been lamps on inside the tents, and they still charged right in.

But for them to vanish so suddenly, as if avoiding something… Shi Jian turned her attention to the sunlight.

She and the others also noticed—the bonfire outside the tent had gone out.

...

Shi Jian begins capturing human-powered rickshaw drivers—zombies.

Step one.They hadn’t deliberately masked their scent, so on the second night, the zombies caught up to them again.

But this time, the zombies couldn’t get close—everyone had torches in hand, and there were many bonfires lit nearby.

Shi Jian and the others were surprised to discover: no wonder they hadn’t heard a thing.

“They actually jumped in without making a sound.”

“Keeping up with the times, huh? Wearing silencer shoes now?”

Unable to approach Shi Jian’s group, the zombies left once more before dawn.

But this time, Shi Jian and the others sprayed on perfume and followed them—straight to the zombies’ nest.

Zombies couldn’t tolerate sunlight; exposure caused them to collapse and lose consciousness and motor control. Shi Jian’s group saw a row of coffins.

Opening the coffins revealed unmoving, completely unresponsive zombies.

Step two could now begin.

Shi Jian directed the trembling upperclassman, “Senior, could you twist that rope a little faster?”

The upperclassman wasn’t dead, but he had been drained of a lot of his yang energy and was extremely weak.

Hearing this, he tried to object, “Junior, how can you talk to your senior like that…”

Shi Jian interrupted him coldly, expressionless, “Senior, everything we’re doing is to rescue our advisor quickly. Or do you not want to save the advisor?”

Saving the advisor was like a tight curse on the senior. Begrudgingly, he fell silent.

He could only start twisting rope, resigned.

The rope was made from the roots of vampiric plants. Shi Jian found that they were long, tough, and very strong.

...

The sun set, and darkness slowly engulfed the misty forest.

The zombies opened their eyes, sniffing the air, about to follow the human scent and feed on yang energy.

But this time, the yang energy was especially dense.

As if it were right next to them.

Zombies: ???

It was right next to them.

Shi Jian sat poised atop a “carriage” made from a coffin as the base, lined with premium velvet blankets. She wore a lavish black-and-red ballgown fit for a royal banquet, holding a blazing torch and lifting her chin with regal pride.

Like a queen of the forest.

During the time when the zombies were unconscious from sunlight, Shi Jian had fitted custom-made muzzles onto their mouths—tightly secured, impossible for them to remove.

Because their arms were fixed in an outstretched position.

To prevent them from biting people.

Not just the muzzles—the zombies also had ropes tied around their bodies, connected to the “carriage.”Forest Queen Shi Jian gave the zombies a command.

“Coachmen, stop sleeping! Get up and pull the carriage! If you don’t, I’ll burn your asses!”

The zombies were utterly confused. Just a while ago, they were still free zombies—how did they wake up and suddenly become carriage pullers?