Chapter 10: The Willow Bends Inverted

What’s so different about the saliva of a living zombie?

Under Lu Li’s expectant gaze, Jiang Linyi decided to volunteer for the research. With a solemn oath, he took a small sip. His tongue touched the bird soup, which was at the critical pollution threshold. The ingredients were decent, but the chef’s skills left much to be desired.

It had been a long time since he had tasted food with such low pollution. Suddenly, his taste buds were sharply awakened, and he almost felt as if he had just eaten a culinary masterpiece.

Watching Jiang Linyi try to keep calm but end up gobbling the food down ravenously, Lu Li felt despondent. She no longer wished to live.

There was no need to sleep; the stomach was perpetually hungry, and even the food consumed carried a strange taste.

For the former landlady Lu Li, the meaning of life had always been summed up in “eat and sleep.” Now, that had completely vanished!

She wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, slumped in a corner, her very breath heavy with despair. Feeling sorry, the interface activated her private funds to run a scan.

“Host, your sense of taste seems fine. Food scarcity has plagued the post-apocalyptic world for a century, and they were all born after the apocalypse. Perhaps they’ve never truly tasted gourmet fare.”

At these words, Lu Li’s eyes sparkled with dazzling light, and her entire zombie self regained some spirit. “So the problem isn’t me—it’s this world!”

She tilted her head back and drained the bird soup with an 18% pollution rating. Her interest in low-pollution food was piqued, yet she looked at Jiang Linyi with a hint of disdain—such a big pot and not a single seasoning added.

She caught Jiang Linyi glancing at her pot and swiftly snatched it away, clutching it protectively to her chest. It was the last bird, and she was still hungry!

Jiang Linyi’s lips twitched awkwardly, his ears flushed red. It had been too long since he’d eaten a proper meal, and a simple bowl of bird soup had thrown him off balance.

After confirming her taste buds were intact, Lu Li’s fighting spirit ignited. She resolved to reach the human safe zone, to get some spices, to cozy up to the heroine, to eat meat, to have proper meals!

“Host, why don’t you farm or hunt yourself? The heroine is still struggling to scrape by in the slums. By the time her abilities awaken, I’m afraid you’ll have starved to death!”

“But I don’t know how…”

“Then come to me! Go increase your favorability with the antagonists, complete system tasks, and earn points! With points, you can do anything!”

Lu Li glanced at Jiang Linyi, who was watching her eagerly, shook her head, and smirked. It was better to rely on herself than on him. Going to the human safe zone to do hard labor was the main priority.

---

Heading to the heroine’s bargain zone—the trading market—to exchange for some practical tools was the key.

Lu Li strapped the contribution value bracelet onto her wrist, swiftly hoisted her new bag, and set out to broaden her horizons. As for Jiang Linyi, she let him be. She was penniless and had nothing worth his concern.

Feigning weakness, Jiang Linyi watched Lu Li’s retreating figure, mouth slightly open but silent. He wanted to follow her to observe the zombies’ lives, but before he could decide, Lu Li had already left.

After passing through a cesspit, and with the early morning uncertainty about changes around him, he needed to reorganize the chaos Lu Li had left behind—his thoughts and plans were in disarray.

---

In the forest, Lu Li gripped a dagger tightly, eyes vigilant as she scanned her surroundings.

These mutated plants seemed to bear a grudge against her, lashing out whenever they caught her. As a zombie with tough skin and thick flesh, she avoided serious injury, but their sheer numbers and painful strikes were exhausting.

The speed-mutated thrush bird had disappeared somewhere. She had hoped to raid its nest while out, but apart from this morning, she hadn’t even glimpsed its shadow.

After snapping several overreaching willow branches, Lu Li grew irritated. According to the system, she’d been out for two hours, yet she kept circling around this patch of willows.

“I get that you don’t warm up to me because I’m not the heroine, but how can you keep hitting me like this?”

She stomped on a tree, peeled bark off, cursing under her breath. A glance revealed a branch obviously too short, struggling fiercely before her, just to lash her with a whip.

She kicked the mostly barkless branch in front of her, then charged straight toward the trembling willow tree just out of reach.

“You worthless things, neither edible nor useful, with such low pollution values—why? Just to lure me in and beat me? You’re really asking for it, coming even when you can’t reach!”

Lu Li’s initial enthusiasm hadn’t faded. She had kept her detector on during the journey. After a steady stream of beeping warnings, she suddenly heard a 14% pollution reading. Without checking what lay ahead, she charged straight in.

Grabbing a willow branch waving in the air, she pulled hard. The surrounding willows stirred restlessly. Lu Li charged forward, branch in hand, when suddenly a green shadow lunged at her face.

Her pupils contracted sharply. She dropped the branch and just managed to catch a small snake aiming for her nose. Its triangular head revealed a pink mouth agape, with two tiny rear fangs dripping glistening venom.

After scanning the slender creature, Lu Li chuckled. A mildly venomous green vine snake with a 20% pollution value—barely edible. Though solitary by nature, judging by its size, it must have just hatched. Perhaps there were more nearby.

She wrapped it up tightly in her bag, not daring to delay. She snapped off the willow branch she was holding and began striking around her with the thick segment.

---

With a crackling sound, young willow leaves were smashed. The frantic branches, disciplined by her beating, wilted and recoiled.

“A bunch of bullies who fear the strong and oppress the weak!”

Her vigorous whipping silenced the willows’ menace but disturbed various small creatures. She flailed at the flying pests while using the detector to pick through them.

The big ones she kept; the small ones fed to the snake.

Collecting her spoils, Lu Li approached the now docile willow tree. It stood quietly, like any ordinary willow.

Wielding the branch against its trunk, she grinned fiercely. “You better keep an eye on the rest, or I’ll rip you all out!”

A breeze stirred the leaves, rustling softly, as if begging for mercy. She snorted, turned abruptly, and caught sight of another branch.

The startled branch hurried to retract but was still snapped off. Lu Li’s fingers dug into the tree’s bark. Taking a deep breath, she grounded herself, a soft hum escaping her throat.

The willow tree, with a circumference of four people’s arms, violently rooted itself deeper. The branches whipped at Lu Li relentlessly.

Green vigor surged, muscles twitching, with countless roots cracking audibly. Lu Li’s legs tensed, her back arched with exertion.

With a crisp snap, the roots broke, and she uprooted the entire tree with her bare hands, soil flying. Holding the tree aloft, she flipped it upside down, burying the branches in the earth.

She brushed dirt off herself and stomped on the second largest—no, the largest—willow tree beside her.

“You’d better not provoke me again! Or this will be your fate!”

Under Lu Li’s threatening gaze, the branches twitched without wind, even submissively curling a small snake toward her. She scanned it: 14% pollution.

“Little pests! Keep it coming!”