Chapter Seven: Courting Disaster Is Also an Art

The reason this five-person team has managed to survive until now is because among them, there is an evolver who has awakened the gift of speed, doing her best to keep the speed-type zombie at bay.

Evolvers are those rare humans who, after being infected by the gene virus, successfully resist its invasion and retain their sanity. Only about one in ten people are so fortunate, and they have become humanity’s main force in the fight against the zombies.

As for animals, especially wild ones, they never possessed rationality to begin with, surviving solely on instinct. The gene virus, far from harming them, actually enhances their physical abilities, making them even more formidable.

For now, the mutated beasts’ habits still keep them deep in the mountains, unwilling to set foot in the outside world. But as time passes, who can say when these terrifying creatures might descend upon the world?

Fortunately, none of this had much to do with Lin Lei. He was merely a passerby, set to leave in another two days. The zombies before him were his true target.

Lowering his flight altitude, Lin Lei hovered directly above the head of the speed-gifted evolver.

She was a woman, around twenty-three or twenty-four, with a stylish short haircut that barely brushed her ears. Her figure was shapely, her skin smooth and fair as jade.

Perhaps after three years of isolation, even a sow would look like a beauty—but to Lin Lei’s eyes, this woman was a first-class beauty by any standard.

Could it be that evolution also dramatically improved one’s physique and appearance?

As Lin Lei observed her, the beauty noticed his arrival as well. A trace of puzzlement flashed in her eyes; she couldn’t fathom where this flying man had come from.

At least in this region, no one had ever heard of a person using a personal flight device.

“Hello there! As expected, a beauty is chased wherever she goes!” Lin Lei quipped, glancing at the relentless level-two zombie on her tail.

Damn it! To think he could still joke around at a time like this—did he have a screw loose?

The woman shot him a glare and ignored him, focusing solely on evading her zombie pursuer.

The zombie was noticeably faster than she was. If she ran in a straight line, she’d be dead for sure. Her only chance lay in weaving through the terrain, circling with the zombie. Since it had no mind and couldn’t adapt, as long as her stamina held, she had little to fear.

“Watch out!” Lin Lei suddenly shouted just as the woman was about to change direction.

His sudden yell startled her, throwing off her rhythm. The zombie caught up at once, leaving a ten-centimeter gash across her arm.

If evolvers weren’t immune to the virus, that single swipe would have been a death sentence.

“There, I told you to be careful, and now you’re hurt,” Lin Lei continued to provoke her.

“Bastard! If you’re going to help, get down here; if not, then get lost! Stop making things worse for me!” The woman finally lost her temper.

“So you’re not mute after all! Seems you’re not very welcoming. Luckily, I’m not one to overstay my welcome. I won’t force myself on your—cold shoulder! I’ll take my leave—enjoy your little game!” Lin Lei retorted, turning away.

The situation was clear: the woman could hold out a while longer, but the other four survivors were on the brink of death.

“System, what do you think? Did she develop any intent to kill me?” Lin Lei asked quickly as he turned away.

That, it seemed, had been his true goal.

“Though the target is extremely angry, she has not developed genuine murderous intent toward the host,” the system replied.

No killing intent meant she wouldn’t attack.

“With all this provocation and still no killing intent, how am I supposed to counterattack?” For the first time, Lin Lei realized how hard it was even to court disaster.

“Morality thresholds differ according to circumstance. The host simply hasn’t found the key trigger. Recommended reading: ‘Three Elements to Infuriate Your Opponent,’ to supplement your knowledge.” The system seized the chance to advertise.

“Enough! Time to get to work!” Lin Lei cut it short, worried that if the conversation continued, he’d lose his temper before his target did.

After all, he was no match for the system.

With a burst of speed, Lin Lei plunged into the zombie horde like a tiger among sheep. Not a single one could withstand him. Even the strength-type zombie had its head severed effortlessly by his particle oscillation dagger.

“Holy crap! That’s a master!”
“Is he a level two or level three evolver?”
“Since when did Haifeng City have someone this powerful?”
“Look at his gear—he must be from somewhere important. Any zombie he hits doesn’t even leave ashes behind!”
“Is he with the government army? Is this the government army making a counterattack, trying to retake Haifeng City?”
“…”

As Lin Lei focused on earning contribution points, the four survivors huddled together, whispering among themselves.

“May I ask your name, sir…?” After the battle, one survivor mustered his courage to approach Lin Lei.

He’d barely begun before Lin Lei cut him off: “Who are you calling ‘sir’?”

The man before him was at least over thirty, while Lin Lei himself had only just turned twenty-six.

“Uh…” The man, not knowing the situation, looked awkward. The conversation died at once.

With the conversation killed, Lin Lei felt awkward too. Not wanting to linger, he adopted a busy, unapproachable air and headed off to assist the beauty still being doggedly pursued by the zombie.

“Still running in circles? I’ve finished up over there. Need a hand here?” Perhaps Lin Lei had been a shut-in for too long, as he truly didn’t know how to converse with people any other way, so he stuck to his previous teasing tone.

“Hmph!” The stubborn woman refused to ask for help.

Mainly, Lin Lei’s earlier behavior had been so abominable—even treating mortal combat as a joke. Clearly not a good person.

In a world where strength was everything, she dared not offend him, nor did she wish to owe him a debt. The best course was to avoid interaction altogether.

Perhaps distracted by her thoughts, or weakened from blood loss after her earlier injury, she slipped while dodging the zombie once more. She staggered forward two or three meters, managing to keep her balance but too late to change direction.

Suddenly, the muffled, urgent sound of suppressed gunfire rang out.

The zombie, less than a meter from the woman, shuddered violently and collapsed. A flash of white light followed, and it vanished completely.

“Damn it! Ten bullets for one level-two zombie—what a loss!” Lin Lei winced.

At that distance, it was too late to intervene physically—he could only provide fire support. Normally, with his marksmanship, he could take out such a steadily moving target in three shots. But to guarantee the kill, he’d emptied ten rounds in quick succession.