Chapter 35
Xia Weishuang couldn’t swim. After being pulled into the water, the icy pool water instantly submerged her.
The omnipresent water entered from everywhere, from her ears, mouth, and nose, bringing with it the pain of fear and suffocation.
At this moment, Xia Weishuang was terrified. The tinnitus caused by entering the water seemed to have formed a barrier, blurring all the sounds from the outside world.
She tried to look up, her survival instinct making her want to struggle. She saw Little Xue and the others anxiously coming to the edge of the pool. Little Xue wanted to jump down, but was held back tightly by Ke Xiaoxiao.
The faces of the people on the shore were distorted and blurred by the water ripples. It seemed that at this moment, they had become people of two different worlds.
But it was impossible for Xia Weishuang to be saved. She could never break free from Sang Lu’s entanglement. Fortunately, Sang Lu had not pulled her into the water to drown her.
Sang Lu hugged Xia Weishuang’s waist from behind, coiling around her like a snake in the water. The terrifying power hidden under this human appearance erupted again, and a few tentacle-like things transformed and covered Xia Weishuang’s mouth and nose.
“Mmph, mmph!”
Xia Weishuang didn’t even have a chance to refuse before her lips and teeth were pried open by the flexible flesh. The water that had choked her windpipe was instantly sucked away, and at the same time, the air that represented life refilled her lungs.
Xia Weishuang shook her head. After escaping the pain of choking and suffocation, she began to calm down and slowly adapt to the underwater world.
Sang Lu had constructed a fleshy oxygen mask-like thing with a long air tube and put it on Xia Weishuang’s face. Then, she held Xia Weishuang and continued to go down.
This was a very wonderful feeling. The gentle and powerful water was enveloping her from all directions. The water pressure made her chest feel a little stuffy, and the hazy, dream-like feeling made her feel as if she were in the clouds.
The pool was not deep. They only went down a little before they stopped. Sang Lu held her, her arms, which were even colder than the pool water, firmly holding Xia Weishuang’s body, allowing her to find a sense of security.
Look.
Xia Weishuang clearly did not hear Sang Lu’s voice, but when she saw Sang Lu’s hand pointing forward, she understood her meaning.
There were a few palm-sized but ferocious-looking fish. They looked a bit like the fish monster.
They were swimming around in the remains of the fish monster that was submerged in the water, tearing at its flesh and devouring everything. Suddenly, a small fish turned over and, with a single bite, ate another smaller fish next to it.
To become one, and never be separated again.
Suddenly, Sang Lu held her even tighter. In the water, she gently pressed her face against Xia Weishuang’s. Her black hair swayed with the water ripples, gradually merging together, indistinguishable from each other. At a glance, it was as if it were all one person’s long hair.
Xia Weishuang held Sang Lu’s hand. She caressed her fingertips and felt an unusual smoothness.
Did Sang Lu bring her here just to watch these few small fish fight and kill each other?
They would, after the fish monster’s death, grow into the new overlords of the pool. They would devour their own kind to reduce competition and increase their strength.
But what did Sang Lu mean by “occupying”?
Was it to occupy the body of this fish monster? Or to occupy this pool, the small fish, or to occupy everything?
She didn’t know how long had passed. In the water, Xia Weishuang had almost lost the ability to perceive the passage of time.
She was a little sleepy, probably because this pool was too gentle, and Sang Lu was by her side.
Fortunately, the fight in front of her soon came to an end. In the end, only one small fish was left. In this short period of time, it had quickly grown from the size of a palm to the size of a forearm.
The newborn fish monster had devoured all its companions, and then, with a twist of its body, it charged towards Sang Lu.
The new fish monster opened its mouth wide, revealing its fine, sharp teeth. Its speed was as fast as a torpedo, leaving a long string of bubbles.
Xia Weishuang saw the water in front of her instantly become distorted and turbid. A stream of blood spread in the water. She narrowed her eyes and subconsciously wanted to retreat, but she could only press herself closer to Sang Lu.
The new fish monster had not yet shown its might before it died silently. Sang Lu took out its algae-green crystal, then held Xia Weishuang and swam back to the surface of the pool.
With a splash, Xia Weishuang emerged from the water. Sang Lu retracted the fleshy mask that was covering her mouth and nose. The few people who had been waiting on the shore finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that she was fine.
Xia Weishuang wiped the water from her face and went ashore. Sang Lu did not follow her out. She had returned from the sea and liked water and cool places.
Sang Lu sat on a large rock by the side of the pool. She combed her messy hair with her fingers. If it weren’t for the slender pair of human legs under her waist, one would have mistaken her for a mermaid sitting there.
Xia Weishuang wanted to go over and help her comb her long hair, but just then, a terrified and panicked shout suddenly came from the foot of the mountain.
Xia Weishuang and the others immediately ran to the side of the road and looked down, and were shocked to find that the zombies that had been sleeping in the water had suddenly climbed up one by one!
There were a few bonfires on the open ground by the stream. All the zombies whose brains had not been destroyed, whether they were in the water or in the fire, all started to move, and their strength was even greater than before!
Why did this suddenly happen?
That’s right, it was the light!
It turned out that the sun had set without them realizing it!
“Damn it!” Xia Qingxue frowned tightly and said, “Everyone seems to have relaxed a bit, thinking that the zombies are no longer a threat. In addition, they were all quite sad, so the speed of destroying the zombies was very slow.”
As a result, by the time the sun set, the villagers had only destroyed one-third of the zombies’ brains.
“Run! Everyone, go home and hide!”
The villagers shouted and fled. Xia Weishuang and the others could only retreat, because the stream that extended up the mountain was filled with the largest number of zombies, and their brains had not yet been destroyed.
After the sunlight disappeared, although it was not yet completely night, the sunset clouds hanging in the sky were still beautiful, but the tall trees and dense leaves made the forest extremely deep. The shadows of the trees seemed to be shaking with countless human figures, making it particularly gloomy.
The few of them retreated to the side of the pool, holding their weapons and warily watching the figures that appeared in front of them.
Ke Xiaoxiao said weakly, “Sister Shuangshuang, will Senior Sang Lu help us?”
Before Xia Weishuang could answer, Xia Qingxue said first, “I advise you not to think about relying on her.”
Ke Xiaoxiao said again, “But Senior Sang Lu is very powerful, and wasn’t she a very generous and righteous person before?”
This time, Xia Qingxue found it hard to answer. Xia Weishuang said gently, “But Sang Lu is different from before. She might not be able to take care of you.”
Ke Xiaoxiao didn’t know if she was really confused or pretending to be. “If everything has changed, then is Senior Sang Lu… still the same senior as before?”
Xia Weishuang said, “Not everything has changed.”
Ke Xiaoxiao continued to ask, “Then what’s different?”
Xia Weishuang thought for a moment and said, “She’s too innocent now.”
Ke Xiaoxiao: “…”
The zombies did not leave them much time to talk. After locking onto their target, they charged up fiercely.
As soon as they made contact, Xia Weishuang felt that the current zombies were obviously different from before. They seemed to have undergone a collective evolution. Whether it was strength, speed, or physical strength, they were all much stronger than before.
Originally, if the zombies had rotted according to the natural order, then in this hot summer, it wouldn’t be long before they rotted into mud, and this crisis might be resolved naturally.
But it seemed that even the process of the bodies rotting had been stopped by this collective evolution.
It was too scary.
At this moment, Xia Weishuang actually had an absurd guess. Could it be that this time, humanity was destined to be extinct? Just like the dinosaurs before, no matter how powerful they were, they were just fleeting passers-by in the long life of the Earth.
It won’t be, it won’t be so cruel… The most powerful thing about humanity is not the body, but the mind.
The evolved zombies were so strong that Xia Weishuang could barely resist. She held the handle of the pickaxe, and with a sudden turn of her body, she used the force of the zombie’s forward charge to throw it back into the water.
However, there were too many zombies. Xia Weishuang had to ask Sang Lu for help.
“Sang Lu, help me!”
Sang Lu, who had been watching, finally changed her posture. She knelt on the moss-covered rock and asked Xia Weishuang like a demon tempting someone to sell their soul.
“If I help you, can you like me more?”
“Sang Lu…” Xia Weishuang’s heart was taken aback. She said, “Can’t you feel my feelings for you?”
With a whoosh, a zombie that was pouncing on Xia Weishuang had its head smashed by a tentacle that was too fast to be seen. Sang Lu said, “You like me, but it’s not enough.”
Not enough, still not enough, I want more.
Sang Lu looked at Xia Weishuang greedily, as if she wanted to possess all of her. She was not stingy with her power. She had a feeling that she had come for her.
If she solved the danger and saved Xia Weishuang, she should like her more.
Sang Lu’s eyes curved. With a simple thought, she completed a one-sided slaughter.
They were temporarily safe.
Xia Weishuang stepped over the dirty blood on the ground and walked to the rock where Sang Lu was sitting. She reached out and gently combed Sang Lu’s long hair.
“Thank you, Sang Lu.”
Sang Lu tilted her head up slightly and smiled even more deeply at Xia Weishuang.
“But I don’t think I can like you more.” Xia Weishuang expressed her deep regret for this.
And after getting this answer, Sang Lu was stunned. Her smile was stiff and she was motionless, and her eyes were a little confused, as if she could no longer think.
Xia Weishuang lowered her head and smiled. “I’ve already given you all my love, Sang Lu. There’s no more.”
She had given her all her deepest pain and joy. Her love and hate all revolved around her. Her heart had been completely plundered by her, and all her love had been squeezed dry.
Where would there be more?
There would be no more.
She didn’t know if this answer would satisfy Sang Lu, but it was clear that Sang Lu had suffered a great blow. She was like a stiff piece of wood, with her big, beautiful eyes open, she fell backward and, with a splash, fell into the water.
Xia Weishuang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She could only say to her, “I’ll wait for you at home.”
She didn’t have much time to coax Sang Lu here. She had to go down the mountain as soon as possible to deal with the escalating disaster.
Xia Qingxue and Ke Xiaoxiao had seen Sang Lu’s terror before, so they were fine now. Xia Yu, on the other hand, was seeing Sang Lu’s so-called ability for the first time, and his entire worldview was about to be overturned.
Xia Weishuang pulled the uncontrollably trembling Xia Yu and said, “There’s no time. Let’s go!”
The premonition about Xia Yu gave Xia Weishuang an idea. The man in the Sun Wukong mask in the premonition had not actually harmed any humans. He had just made the person who was about to turn into a zombie stop all activity in advance.
His ability might not have any effect on ordinary people, but it was very harmful to zombies. If he no longer hid and was willing to face the zombies head-on, the number of zombies would probably be much less.
**
Running down the mountain and then back to the village, the journey was very dangerous. Fortunately, most of the zombies were attracted and scattered by the other villagers. Xia Weishuang and the others were not surrounded. They used all their strength to run back home.
Just as the door was closed, the zombies behind them caught up and kept ramming the gate with a bang, bang, bang.
Xia Yu bolted the door and looked at the shaking gate in shock. “No, their strength is too great. If they keep ramming like this, the door will break!”
“Find something to block it!”
The few of them immediately moved all sorts of miscellaneous things, plus the motorcycle in the house, and finally managed to make the door a little safer.
After doing all this, they were all panting. Just then, Grandma Xia also came down from the rooftop and said anxiously, “You’re finally back. What’s going on outside? Didn’t Old Sun just have someone move two bags of coal?”
Xia Yu waved his hand and explained to Grandma Xia. After hearing it, Grandma Xia clutched her chest and felt a little unwell.
“What a sin, what a sin,” she put her hands together and muttered as she went down the stairs, almost falling.
Xia Yu chased after her and gave some instructions to the people in grandpa’s house, telling them to block the doors and so on tightly.
The sky had completely darkened. The world without light was too dangerous. The few of them sat in the living room, all a little silent. Suddenly, with a crash, a zombie rolled down the stairs leading to the rooftop.
Xia Weishuang was taken aback and immediately reacted. “The firewood pile outside the wall!”
This group of zombies would climb in along the firewood pile stacked against the wall!
Bang, bang, bang! At this time, the zombie had already stood up and was pouncing on the living room door, ramming it. The door frame and glass were shaking from its impact.
The bad thing was that to prevent the house from being contaminated with dirty blood, their long-pole weapons were all placed in the courtyard.
“Xia Yu and Little Xue, you two pull the rope on both sides of the door and trip it. Xiaoxiao, you press down on the chair and hold its arm. I’ll use a knife to attack its head at this time.”
As soon as the division of labor was determined, no one had time to question whether it was reasonable. They all acted. And Xia Weishuang’s command was not wrong. They successfully dealt with the zombie that had climbed into the house, then fumbled in the dark to the rooftop and used a fork to knock over all the firewood piles and so on that were stacked against the wall of Third Uncle’s house and grandpa’s house.
But even so, they still couldn’t completely relax. After reminding grandpa and the others, they brought their weapons into the living room and reinforced the doors and windows of the living room again.
It was already late at night. The exhausted Xia Yu fell asleep with his clothes on. Before he fell asleep, he said, “I’ll keep watch here. If there’s any movement, I’ll call you.”
But fortunately, no other zombies climbed in tonight.
But the next door was quite unlucky. In the middle of the night, a panicked scream sounded. The light-sleeping Xia Weishuang was immediately woken up.
Probably because no one could sleep peacefully, the others were also woken up.
Xia Weishuang had Mi Lele stay in the room and protect herself. She went next door with the others through the rooftop. A zombie was banging on the door of the main room next door.
They dealt with this zombie. Aunt Xia, who was the most scared because she lived on the first floor, opened the door, trembling, and couldn’t help but complain, “Why did you take so long to come?”
Even though Xia Yu had a good temper, he didn’t want to bother with her at this time. He turned his head and said to Grandpa Xia, “Grandpa, it probably climbed in along the grape vine planted outside the wall. Let’s break the grape vine.”
“That’s fine too.”
The group of people once again went up to the rooftop in the dark. Seeing the scattered coal bags and firewood outside the wall, Aunt Xia couldn’t help but complain a few more words. After learning that it was Xia Weishuang’s idea, she became even more sarcastic.
“What’s the use of knocking these over? The zombies still got in. What about that girlfriend of yours? Doesn’t she have an ability? Why didn’t she come over to protect you? Where is she? Did something happen to her?”
Originally, she was not in a good mood, and she couldn’t sleep well. Xia Weishuang felt that her head was stuffy and painful.
After hearing Aunt Xia’s incessant garbage talk, she suddenly woke up.
Then she raised her hand and slapped her.
SLAP!
It was crisp and loud.
Everyone was stunned, including Aunt Xia, who had been slapped.
Xia Weishuang wiped her hand and said coldly, “I didn’t have to care about you, but I thought that a cheap mouth didn’t deserve to die, and besides, Second Uncle and Second Aunt are still here. This slap has no other meaning. It’s too noisy and will attract zombies. I’m doing this for your own good.”
Aunt Xia’s eyebrows shot up. She finally reacted slowly, her whole body trembling with anger, and was about to shout.
Xia Weishuang slapped her again with a backhand.
SLAP!
Aunt Xia: “…” Rebellion, rebellion! This person is going to rebel against the heavens!
Xia Qingxue took a step forward and stood between the two of them. Second Uncle, Second Aunt, and Xia Yu did the same. They looked like they were trying to mediate, but in fact, they were just holding Aunt Xia back so she couldn’t touch Xia Weishuang.
Xia Weishuang continued to wipe her hand and said, “You can make a scene, go ahead. It’s just that I won’t care about you next time. The more you make a scene, the more zombies you’ll attract, and the faster you’ll die. I’ll remind you, zombies don’t just attack one person. I hope you can implicate fewer people.”
Aunt Xia was so angry that she couldn’t form a complete sentence. “I, you, you…”
“That’s enough!” Grandma Xia patted her daughter and said coldly, “What more do you want? Be quiet. You’re the one with the most trouble!”
Aunt Xia: “…”
It’s over. Even my own mother won’t help me. Her son was at home coaxing her little granddaughter and didn’t know what was happening on the rooftop. No one here would help her.
Completely losing her power, Aunt Xia wilted, covered her mouth, and sat to the side, crying silently.
Xia Weishuang rubbed her numb palm and breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, she felt much better, and even her head felt clearer.
