Chapter 29: The Bandaged Girl

No matter how strong Lin Yi's mind was, when he heard the notification that his equipment was gone, he couldn't help but curse.

In front of him, a slender black snake, moving at a speed far beyond Lin Yi's reflexes, swallowed the [Soul-Devouring Gloves] in one bite.

The snake was so fast, it almost seemed like the gloves had disappeared into thin air.

If it weren't for the bulge in the snake's belly and the saliva still on his hands, Lin Yi would have thought he was hallucinating.

The gloves were gone.

The black snake gave a satisfied burp, looking somewhat lazy.

"Tasty…"

A childish voice came from the snake, full of satisfaction.

But to Lin Yi, it was like a bolt from the blue.

One moment, he was in paradise, and the next, he was plunged into hell.

Lin Yi stared at the snake, resisting the urge to strangle it.

But he knew if he acted, he'd be the one to die.

His epic-level equipment was gone, and with it, his confidence in saving An Xia and An Jingtian.

Lin Yi felt lost.

If it weren't for his strong mental resolve, most people wouldn't be able to handle such a massive swing in fortune.

The gloves were gone.

This also meant he had lost his own [Skull Crusher's Hand].

Within seconds, the gloves seemed to be completely digested by the snake.

The once sluggish snake was now full of energy.

Suddenly, everything became clear to Lin Yi.

No wonder the snake had saved him and tried to curry favor.

It wasn't planning to give him the epic equipment—it wanted to merge the two items using his system.

Lin Yi gave a bitter smile.

He had been too naive. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

He wasn't the protagonist who got all the benefits.

It was over, everything was over.

Without the 5 strength points from the [Skull Crusher's Hand], Lin Yi had no idea how to fight the [Stitcher].

The 5-point difference in strength would require two more level-ups to make up for.

That was a huge gap.

Whether it was his player level or his awakened level, the number of mutants needed to level up would double each time.

Going from level 1 to 2 required 4 mutants, and from level 2 to 3 required 8.

In total, he needed to kill twelve mutants. And even if he could manage that, finding them in Linjiang City was no easy task. One wrong move, and he'd be surrounded by zombies or mutants—certain death.

Powerlessness and frustration washed over him.

Lin Yi remained silent.

After a long while, zombies started appearing again in the area cleared by the red-clothed mutant.

"Roar!"

Zombies growled, indifferent to Lin Yi's state, only craving flesh.

Shaking off his negative emotions, Lin Yi forced himself to climb out of the pit. While he had recovered a bit, his strength was still less than a tenth of his peak condition.

He had to stay strong—there was still hope as long as he was alive.

If he got surrounded by zombies, there might be no way out.

As for the black snake, Lin Yi didn't harbor much resentment.

Whether intentional or not, the snake had saved his life, and that alone was enough.

There was nothing to complain about.

As for the equipment?

Gone is gone. As long as he was alive, anything was possible.

"Zhang Tie, did you find anything on your end?"

"If not, we should head back now."

With his current injuries, he would need at least two days to fully recover.

Time was running out, and he couldn't afford to linger at the hospital.

Unfortunately, he hadn't had a chance to check the ward where Wen Ya's mother was.

There would be another opportunity.

A promise was a promise.

Lin Yi stood up, ignoring the black snake beside him, still savoring its "delicious" meal.

He had no intention of getting entangled with the snake.

The gap in strength was too large. If this strange snake made any moves, Lin Yi wouldn't even have a chance to fight back.

Rather than relying on the snake's mood not to harm him, Lin Yi would rather stay as far away as possible—just in case.

He wasn't living for himself anymore; he carried the hope of keeping An Jingtian and his sister alive.

...

**In the Medicine Room**

There weren't many zombies in the medicine room area.

Apart from a few zombified employees, there wasn't much else.

Even without his bear transformation ability, Zhang Tie's awakened physical condition allowed him to reach the pharmacy cold storage from the day he had awakened.

After searching the area, Zhang Tie found nothing unusual.

Even the white light that had knocked him unconscious that day had vanished.

After dealing with the few remaining zombies, he began scavenging for various emergency and common medicines.

Two tattered coats served as makeshift bags.

With a broken helmet on his head and a pack full of medicine on his back, Zhang Tie looked just like a big bear.

While happily looting, he encountered a strange girl.

...

Zhang Tie's expression was conflicted. He hadn't immediately responded to Lin Yi's message.

At his feet lay a frail girl wrapped head to toe in bandages, her eyes tightly shut.

Crimson blood soaked through the bandages, making her look like a gravely wounded soldier on the verge of death.

What troubled him was that he couldn't tell if she was a zombie or human.

Just five seconds earlier, the girl had spoken to him, but then suddenly bent backward like a zombie and screamed in pain.

After the scream, she seemed to be in immense agony and then passed out.

Zhang Tie had been startled.

The way her spine bent was impossible for a human.

Her bandaged skin showed no clues either.

Even as dense as Zhang Tie could be, he suspected the girl might be hiding her decaying flesh beneath the wrappings.

After all, zombies were usually easy to distinguish from humans.

Should he kill her?

Zhang Tie hesitated.

When conscious, the girl had seemed weak but still human.

She was young, about the same age as his sister.

Even though he couldn't see her face, something about her clear and innocent eyes reminded Zhang Tie of his own sister.

Just like Lin Yi, his sister was the soft spot in his heart—his line that he couldn't cross.

He just couldn't bring himself to do it.

When the girl had been awake, she had begged him for help, saying she desperately needed food and medical attention.

But right after that, she had transformed and fainted.

Zhang Tie muttered to himself.

Was she human or not?

This creature certainly looked like some kind of mutant.

Or was she a human in a special situation?

With the example of the zombie doctor fresh in his mind, Zhang Tie wasn't going to assume someone was human just because they could talk.

But what if she was a mutant pretending to be unconscious, trying to trick him into taking her back?

A headache.

If she really was human, Zhang Tie genuinely wanted to save her.

He had a soft spot for anyone resembling his sister and couldn't bear to be cold-hearted.

In one word, Zhang Tie's true nature was far too kind.

Even a bit of a "bleeding heart."

It was a stark contrast to his rugged and fierce appearance.

But what if Lin Yi saw her as a risk? Even if she was human, Lin Yi would likely kill her with one stroke, unwilling to take any chances.

What to do?

Zhang Tie was completely unsure.

After hesitating for a moment, he made a decision.

Better let Captain Lin decide.

Zhang Tie activated the team comms.

"Captain Lin... uh..."

"I found someone here. She seems... special. Should we bring her back?"

"She might be human, but..."

Zhang Tie was about to explain when—

"Fuck!!!"

On the other end of the line, Lin Yi cursed.