Chapter Forty-Seven: Flat Chest

As Qin Fei spoke, the sound of metal shattering rose from below—it must have been the steel plates affixed to the concrete pillars, smashed apart by the zombies. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the columns supporting the platform were all brought down by the horde. If the wires below weren’t reconnected, both Xie Nai Nai and Qin Fei would likely perish in this wave of the undead.

With no other options, Xie Nai Nai resolved to draw the zombies away. She stood up on the platform, fished a bottle of coffee from her backpack, and downed it in one go. Then, turning to Qin Fei, she grumbled, “Hurry up and fix it!”

“I know, I know! Just go already!” Qin Fei replied, tossing a pipe bomb below. The blast sent several zombies sprawling, opening a brief window. Seizing the chance, Xie Nai Nai leapt down from the platform. With the power out, the electric defenses below couldn’t harm her. She quickly sprinted to the outskirts of the shelter.

In an instant, almost every zombie nearby—including the green-skinned ones—charged in her direction. Fortunately, their speed was just slower than hers; only the zombie hounds could outpace a human. The coffee kicked in, boosting her stamina recovery and ensuring—for the moment—that the horde wouldn’t catch up.

With most zombies drawn away, Qin Fei shut down the generator and jumped down from the platform. Three ordinary zombies still lingered, but without the green-skins, they posed little threat. A few well-placed shots dispatched them. Qin Fei then pulled out a flashlight and began searching for the break in the wires. Most of the wiring had been buried underground to avoid zombie damage, and searching for the damaged section in the dark proved quite taxing.

Meanwhile, Xie Nai Nai was already panting hard as she ran. Zombies were indeed slower than humans, but their speed varied. The ordinary zombies were manageable, but the two green-skinned ones were much faster. While they couldn’t quite catch her, Xie Nai Nai had to keep sprinting to keep them at bay. The difference in stamina consumption between a sprint and a jog was vast. Even with the coffee’s boost, her energy was nearly spent.

She glanced back toward the shelter. Qin Fei was still sprawled on the ground, tinkering with something. He didn’t look close to finished, and anxiety gnawed at her heart.

Why was he taking so long just to reconnect a wire? Was he trying to get her killed? If a zombie hound appeared now, she’d be doomed!

Almost as if on cue, five zombie hounds burst from the darkness in the distance, howling as they gave chase.

Below the shelter’s platform, Qin Fei finally located the severed copper wire and quickly reconnected it. Finished, he looked up and saw that Xie Nai Nai was still alive. He climbed back onto the platform and fired a flare gun—a signal to let her know the wires were fixed and she could return.

If Xie Nai Nai didn’t make it back to the platform, Qin Fei couldn’t restart the generator. The defenses would attack indiscriminately, human or zombie; to power up now would be to lock her out with the horde. That was unnecessary—her death would do Qin Fei no good.

Xie Nai Nai had seen the flare, but by then, several zombie hounds were already on her heels, and she was still a ways from the shelter. Before she could reach the platform, two zombie hounds lunged and sank their teeth into her ankles. Her speed faltered, and within seconds, the horde swallowed her whole.

It all happened too fast; Qin Fei barely had time to react, let alone attempt a rescue.

Xie Nai Nai was dead.

Though the loss stung, Qin Fei couldn’t bring himself to grieve deeply; after all, they’d only just met and didn’t share much of a bond. He certainly wouldn’t be wailing over her.

With Xie Nai Nai gone, the zombies turned their attention fully to the shelter and surged forward. Qin Fei dashed inside and immediately restarted the generator. Power surged back, blades whirred and spun, and the electric grid crackled to life. The shelter’s defenses sprang back into action, and the crisis—at least for now—was averted.

[Effect of the Substitute Doll activated. Bearer is being resurrected…]

Inside the shelter, Xie Nai Nai was suddenly brought back to life, standing atop her sleeping bag.

“Qin Fei, you bastard!” she spat, her temper flaring the instant she revived.

Whenever a traveler completed a world’s main quest, they earned a Substitute Doll—granting them one chance at resurrection.

Xie Nai Nai had journeyed through two worlds and thus possessed two Substitute Dolls, but one had already been used. Now she’d spent her last one, wasted in this zombie tide—and all to draw the horde away for Qin Fei’s sake. Naturally, she was furious, hence the outburst upon reviving.

Qin Fei, for his part, was grateful—after all, her death had been to save him—so he didn’t take her curse to heart.

The Substitute Doll’s effect brought one back to life without clothing. When Qin Fei had resurrected, he’d been alone, so nudity was no issue. This time, things were different.

“Ahem,” Qin Fei coughed, pointing at her. “You should put some clothes on first…”

“Hmph!” Xie Nai Nai realized as much and hastily pulled an outfit from her spatial backpack.

In truth, she wasn’t truly angry. Being forced to use the Substitute Doll was mainly the result of the zombie wave and the dire situation. It hadn’t really been Qin Fei’s fault. As for being seen naked—well, that was hardly worth fussing over. In a world where survival was at stake, she’d never be so foolish as to care about such trivialities.

Once she was dressed, Qin Fei muttered under his breath, “Flat-chested…”

“What was that?” Xie Nai Nai shot him a glare.

“Nothing,” he replied, a bit sheepishly. Ignoring her, he grabbed his shotgun and headed outside.

The two green-skinned zombies beneath the platform had already had their legs severed by the blade traps and were lying prone. Yet their limbs were regenerating at a frightening rate—they’d be up again soon.

Qin Fei raised his shotgun and fired a few more rounds into them. Still unsatisfied, he tossed down another pipe bomb. The combined assault of blades, gunfire, and explosives tore the green-skins to shreds.

Such catastrophic damage was beyond even their ability to recover from. At last, the two green-skinned zombies were truly dead.