Tan Lili had no idea what had just happened.
She only felt a sudden dizziness, and her body became unexpectedly light.
There seemed to be a few brief pauses in between, each lasting only a second or so, followed by another wave of dizziness.
When she finally regained consciousness, her heart nearly leaped out of her chest in terror.
Because she found herself in a place overrun by zombies.
She had no idea where she was, only that it resembled an abandoned factory.
And she was standing on top of a small car.
The surroundings were pitch black, but she could still see the densely packed zombies on the ground.
They were roaring and pushing towards the car, stretching out their hands to grab at anything within reach.
Some had even started climbing up.
"Ah!"
Tan Lili's face turned pale as she was horrified by the sight.
Just as a zombie's hand was about to grab her foot, she let out a scream of panic and quickly jumped away.
Then she frantically dodged, her nerves on edge.
"Didn't you want to die?"
At that moment, a calm voice came from a tree nearby.
Tan Lili turned her head and saw Yun Xiaoxiao sitting leisurely on a branch, swinging her little feet, looking completely at ease.
She pursed her lips and said, "This is the perfect opportunity. All you need to do is extend your hand or neck for them to bite, and you'll be meeting the King of Hell in no time. It's quick."
Tan Lili was on the verge of tears, "I wanted to die, but I didn't want to be killed by zombies. I could have used a knife to commit suicide."
"Do you think you have the right to die in my base and pollute the air?
People who don't cherish their own lives don't deserve to die in my base."
Yun Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow.
"This place suits you better. Die here.
Everyone will be at peace.
Don't worry, I'll inform your parents about your death.
They'll probably be heartbroken, but that's about it."
Yun Xiaoxiao's tone was as casual as if she were discussing what to have for dinner.
It seemed as if Tan Lili's life or death truly didn't matter to her.
"Xiaoxiao, I don't mean I don't cherish life. I'm just really suffering.
I fell in love with someone I shouldn't have.
Every day, I watch him from afar but can't be with him, nor can I tell anyone I love him.
It feels like someone is constantly covering my nose, making it hard to breathe.
I'm afraid that if I continue living, I might do something that will embarrass everyone, including my parents.
I just can't hold on anymore..."
Tears streamed down Tan Lili's cheeks uncontrollably.
"Then just die. They seem quite interested in your flesh. If you jump down now, they'll pounce on you and bite into your flesh piece by piece. In a few seconds, you'll be free from your suffering. It's simple."
Yun Xiaoxiao shrugged, smiling in a way that could almost be considered friendly.
Tan Lili, however, couldn't help but imagine the gruesome scene of being torn apart by zombies as Yun Xiaoxiao spoke.
Despite her initial desire to die, the thought of actually being killed by zombies filled her with a sudden fear.
Especially when she pictured the zombies tearing into her flesh, her heart trembled.
At least for now, she didn't want to die.
Not like this.
"Xiaoxiao, please, for old times' sake, can you take me away? I really don't want to die here."
She looked at Yun Xiaoxiao pleadingly.
Yun Xiaoxiao shook her little head, "I don't save people who are determined to die.
In this apocalypse, so many people struggle to survive, barely able to find enough to eat or wear.
Yet you have the luxury to think about trivial matters.
It seems I've made life too comfortable for you, making you forget what era we're living in."
Yun Xiaoxiao's words made Tan Lili blush with shame.
She knew Yun Xiaoxiao was right.
Before coming to Yun City, her daily thoughts revolved around what to eat next, or whether zombies would suddenly break in and tear her family apart.
But after arriving in Yun City, life became too comfortable.
There was food, clothing, no zombies, no danger.
It was as if the apocalypse had never happened.
She had forgotten the harsh reality of the world.
At that moment, she felt utterly ashamed.
Just as she was feeling despondent, Yun Xiaoxiao tossed a large cleaver at her feet.
"However, you can save yourself. Whether you live or die depends on you now."
"I'm going to take a nap. You... take your time dying."
After saying that, Yun Xiaoxiao found a comfortable position on the branch and closed her eyes to sleep, looking utterly relaxed.
Tan Lili was stunned for a moment, then quickly picked up the cleaver.
As a zombie started climbing up, she mustered all her courage and swung the cleaver with all her strength at the zombie.
The first swing missed, and the zombie growled as it lunged at her again.
Even in the dark night, the zombie's grotesque face was clearly visible.
Tan Lili's heart raced.
She felt as if she were fighting for her life against the Grim Reaper.
All thoughts of love, despair, and wanting to die were cast aside.
All she knew was that if she didn't kill the zombie, she would be the one to die.
She realized that Yun Xiaoxiao truly had no intention of helping her.
And why would she?
While so many people risked their lives to find food and fought for survival, they had been living in the safety of the base, indulging in luxuries, and yet still complaining about trivial matters.
She cried as she swung the cleaver at the zombies climbing onto the car.
She cried not because of the horde of zombies surrounding her.
But because of the foolishness of her past self.
Because of the pain she had caused her parents.
Because of her own ungratefulness.
Although Yun Xiaoxiao claimed to be sleeping, she was actually keeping a close eye on Tan Lili's situation.
Seeing the change in the other girl's mindset, she gently curved her lips.
Still, as she had said before, whether Tan Lili lived or died was up to her.
At first, Tan Lili was clumsy and nearly got pulled off the car by the zombies several times.
She didn't know where she found the strength, but she kept going tirelessly from night until dawn.
By the time her arms were almost too weak to lift, she had managed to kill all the zombies.
The area around the car was piled with zombie corpses.
Her tears had long since dried up.
Her clothes were soaked with sweat and zombie blood.
But she didn't care.
She had become a machine, numbed by the act of killing zombies.
The place Yun Xiaoxiao had chosen was filled with low-level zombies.
Their numbers weren't overwhelming.
If Yun Xiaoxiao had taken action herself, she could have cleared the area in under fifteen minutes.
But Tan Lili had taken an entire night.
Still, she had managed to hold her own, eventually killing all the zombies.
Yun Xiaoxiao opened her eyes and glanced at Tan Lili.
"So, do you still want to die?"
Exhausted and sitting on the car roof, Tan Lili silently shook her head.
Life was so hard, and yet she had once thought of ending it so lightly. How foolish she had been!
"Xiaoxiao, I understand your intentions now. I know I was wrong, and I know what I should do from now on.
I want to join the guard team. I want to go out with everyone to fight zombies.
I hope it's not too late."
She looked up at the sky, her eyes clearer than ever.
