Chapter 19: Another Divine Technique!

Having fled a great distance, Song Yu and Xiao Hei listened with heavy hearts to the faint, haunting howls of zombies mixed with human screams. Song Yu’s clothes were stained with the blood of other survivors, and a small group of zombies relentlessly pursued them, blocking the path behind them with an unyielding barrier.

If they dared to look back, they would immediately see the grotesque, twisted faces of the zombies closing in.

What was most terrifying was the sharp increase in the number of third and fourth-tier zombies at night—beasts far beyond the low-level shamblers. These creatures bore inhuman traits and moved in packs.

Typically, a fourth-tier zombie would command a horde of around a hundred lesser zombies.

At that moment, Song Yu and Xiao Hei were being chased by over a hundred zombies, the two of them—one woman and her dog—running as fast as they could.

Inside the narrow tunnel, the flashlight beam wavered as they quickly reached a sewer entrance. Song Yu crouched down, and Xiao Hei immediately stood up and climbed onto her back.

Xiao Hei couldn’t manage the ladder on his own; he needed Song Yu to carry him.

Though Song Yu appeared fragile, she actually had some strength. When Xiao Hei had once been stricken with canine distemper and no cars were available late at night, it was Song Yu and her grandmother who had painstakingly carried him into the city to find a vet.

That foolish dog had thought he was dying, having already dug a grave to lie in.

Song Yu and her grandmother had spent months scrimping and saving to pay for his treatment.

Back then, it was Song Yu and her grandmother who saved Xiao Hei. Now, it was Song Yu and Xiao Hei’s turn to save her grandmother.

Feeling the heavy weight on her back, Song Yu gritted her teeth and began climbing.

The rusted iron ladder could hardly bear their weight.

Suddenly, a rung beneath her foot snapped!

A sharp edge sliced into Song Yu’s ankle, blood instantly flowing out, but she acted as if nothing had happened, maintaining her pace.

Xiao Hei nudged her ear gently and let out a soft, pitiful whimper.

“It’s nothing.”

Although she was the one injured, Song Yu comforted Xiao Hei instead.

Behind them, the growls of the zombies drew closer, but neither Song Yu nor Xiao Hei dared to glance back once.

The sound of claws scraping metal filled the air.

Song Yu swiftly climbed to the top rung of the ladder, and Xiao Hei, standing on her back, used his head to heave the heavy manhole cover closed.

He was the first to leap out of the sewer, facing a crowded street swarming with zombies.

Xiao Hei’s sudden appearance drew all the zombies’ attention toward him. He sprinted furiously toward the area with the fewest zombies, diverting the entire horde away from Song Yu.

Song Yu did not immediately emerge from the sewer. The zombies below were climbing quickly, and though her heart pounded fiercely, she controlled her emotions and waited patiently.

Only when the noise above diminished did she leap out, slamming the manhole cover shut.

It snapped the arm of a zombie reaching up behind her.

Meeting the terrifying gaze of those red eyes through the small hole in the cover, Song Yu calmly stepped over and quickly sought shelter.

She did not search for Xiao Hei, knowing that once safe, he would come find her.

Zombies were always more active at night. Before she could enter a building, one lunged crazily at her.

Fortunately, Song Yu was prepared and fired several nail gun shots at the creature, which instantly vanished in a flash of light.

She swiftly hid inside a house and began washing the blood off her body.

It took ten bottles of mineral water to completely remove the blood. Song Yu changed into a fresh set of clothes and wrapped her ankle with a bandage to restore her health.

The clothes did not fit well, but she had no other options.

She carefully packed away all the bloodied water she had just used.

Blood was fatal in attracting zombies—more effective even than people.

Though diluted with water, it could still serve a purpose.

While checking her health status, Song Yu discovered a new negative buff had appeared.

【Tetanus Warning: Please visit Dr. Zhong Huijun within 24 hours to receive vaccination, or face the consequences.】

“...”

This was hardly good news, and Song Yu felt a headache coming on.

However, she did not complain or curse. Problems existed to be solved, and negative emotions would not help.

She immediately pulled out her map and, by the light of the moon, located Dr. Zhong’s area of activity.

It was quite far.

If she traveled through the night without rest, she should be able to reach Dr. Zhong’s area within 24 hours.

The bandaged wound on her ankle had stopped bleeding and was slowly healing, not affecting her ability to travel.

While waiting for Xiao Hei’s return, Song Yu did not idle. She quickly searched the room for supplies, gathering all potentially useful items.

When Xiao Hei returned, they would take everything with them.

Bottles, buckets, wooden cabinets, plastic sheets—Song Yu spared nothing.

Who knew when these things might come in handy?

Previously, due to limited backpack slots, Song Yu couldn’t carry much. Now, with Xiao Hei’s extra space, she intended to make full use of it.

At the Tree Source, she could expand Xiao Hei’s capacity. After exchanging the Eternal Companion and Animal Awakening elixirs, if she had enough favor points, she planned to make that upgrade.

After tidying the room’s supplies, Song Yu examined the players’ legacies and talents.

These two players were truly poor—each had only one backpack slot!

And it was filled with compressed biscuits and instant noodles.

Song Yu had just gotten rid of those, only to face them again. She felt a bit frustrated.

“...”

Forget it, better focus on the talents.

Compared to their miserable legacies, these players’ talents were somewhat brighter.

【Talent: Three Hands Level 1 (0/50): Can randomly steal any one item from a living creature. Success rate 5%. Gains 1 experience point per success. Can be used three times daily.】

【Talent: Street Hood Level 1 (0/50): Adds 5% damage to bladed weapons.】

These two talents were quite impressive!

Especially the Three Hands!

This talent was very special; its description detailed the probability of stealing each type of resource, including backpack slots—though the chance for those was very low.

Of course, the talent had its drawbacks. Failure often meant the target would become aware of the theft.

If caught, the fate of the Three Hands user was grim.

Yet, for Song Yu and Xiao Hei, this was a divine gift!

Both of them were players and could level up their talents.

As the level rose, the success rate increased, allowing the range of theft targets to expand.

For example, NPCs.

Or even... high-tier zombies!