Chapter 9: Small Fireball

Yue Zhong, Ji Qingwu, and Bone fought their way to a pavilion situated on the artificial lake.

The pavilion had only one narrow path leading to it, surrounded by water on all sides. For zombies, it was a fortress that was easy to defend but hard to attack.

Once they reached the pavilion, Bone took up position at the entrance, chopping off the heads of any zombies that approached. In such a narrow space, zombies were no match for Bone.

Ji Qingwu glanced at Yue Zhong and asked in a slightly magnetic voice, "Hello! I'm Ji Qingwu. What's your name?"

Yue Zhong looked at her and smiled. "Senior Ji, I'm Yue Zhong. I think there are few people in the school who don't know you."

The girl before him had smooth, shoulder-length black hair, a striking and handsome face, a tall and curvaceous figure, clear eyes, and skin as white as jade. She was none other than Ji Qingwu, widely regarded as the most beautiful girl in Yunhua University.

During the New Year's Eve performance a year ago, Ji Qingwu's solo sword dance had captivated most of the students at Yunhua University. She instantly became the dream girl of many male students. Rumors even had it that wealthy young men from other schools had driven luxury cars to see her.

Although Yue Zhong didn't pay much attention to such things, he had also been mesmerized by her stunning performance that night. What he hadn't expected was that this beautiful senior would be so brave and skilled in close combat with zombies.

Ji Qingwu looked at Bone and asked directly, "Is that your ability?"

Yue Zhong nodded. "Yes."

Ji Qingwu stared at him with her clear, piercing eyes and said seriously, "I need your help. Please come with me to the girls' dormitory. My friend is trapped there, and I need your help to rescue her."

The girls' dormitory was also swarming with zombies. Although Ji Qingwu was skilled, she couldn't handle so many zombies alone to save her friend.

Yue Zhong nodded and made a request of his own. "No problem. But, Senior Ji, I also have a close friend to rescue. Once things here stabilize a bit, I hope you'll help me save him."

Whatever ability Ji Qingwu had acquired, her exceptional and practical sword skills alone made her an invaluable companion. In this apocalyptic world, Ji Qingwu was the best ally one could ask for.

"Okay," Ji Qingwu agreed.

"Are you rested? If you're ready, let's go," Ji Qingwu asked Yue Zhong after ten minutes.

Yue Zhong stood up. "Let's move!"

By now, Yue Zhong's stamina had recovered to 10 points, allowing him to continue fighting for a while.

Ji Qingwu, holding her beginner's stick, strode out confidently.

The path was littered with the decapitated bodies of zombies. The dozen or so zombies that had been drawn to Yue Zhong and Ji Qingwu had all been killed by Bone.

Bone had also leveled up to Level 6, further enhancing its attributes.

Ji Qingwu glanced at Bone and smiled at Yue Zhong. "Your ability is really useful."

As an undead creature, Bone possessed combat prowess and endurance far surpassing that of ordinary humans like Yue Zhong and Ji Qingwu.

"It's not bad," Yue Zhong replied with a smile before walking into the pile of zombie corpses to collect survival coins and check for any valuable items.

"A skillbook!" Yue Zhong's eyes lit up as he spotted a book lying quietly among the corpses. He quickly picked it up.

"Level 1 Skillbook: Small Fireball. Can release a small fireball to attack enemies. For non-mage professions, before upgrading this skill to Level 2, this skill can only be used once every three days. Cost: 100 survival coins."

"This skill isn't suitable for me," Yue Zhong thought as he picked up the skillbook.

Ji Qingwu walked over and asked, "What kind of skillbook is it?"

Yue Zhong held it up. "It's a magic-based Level 1 skillbook—Small Fireball. Do you need it?"

Ji Qingwu examined the skillbook carefully and shook her head. "No. Let's go."

Yue Zhong stuffed the skillbook into his bag, adjusted his gear, and followed Ji Qingwu as they strode out.

Not long after Yue Zhong, Ji Qingwu, and Bone left the pavilion, the nearby zombies began to move, shambling toward them.

"Charge through!" Ji Qingwu shouted, dashing forward like a whirlwind toward the zombies blocking their path.

If they didn't break through the twelve zombies ahead, they wouldn't be able to reach the girls' dormitory.

Ji Qingwu was incredibly fast, swiftly outpacing Yue Zhong. It was clear her agility was quite high.

"Bone, go!" Yue Zhong commanded.

At Yue Zhong's order, Bone's soul flames flickered in its eyes as it surged forward like a war god, overtaking Ji Qingwu and plunging into the zombie group. With a swing of its axe, it severed a zombie's head, sending it flying into the air while dark blood sprayed everywhere.

"Impressive skeleton!" Ji Qingwu thought in surprise as Bone overtook her and charged into the zombies. She followed closely, her beginner's stick striking like a snake, smashing another zombie's head.

Yue Zhong quickly joined the fray, swinging his stick and knocking zombie heads askew.

With the three of them working together, they swiftly killed eight of the twelve zombies blocking their path and broke through.

"Move!" Ji Qingwu shouted, glancing at the eight zombie corpses before pressing forward.

The surrounding zombies were closing in. If they were surrounded, the three of them would be doomed.

"A vitality apple? Great find!" Just as Yue Zhong was about to leave, he spotted a vitality apple lying near the zombie corpses. He bent down to pick it up and quickly caught up with the others.

After breaking through this group of zombies, Yue Zhong, Ji Qingwu, and Bone killed six more wandering zombies before finally reaching the girls' dormitory.

In front of the dormitory, ten zombies turned around and began shambling toward them.

"What a shame," Yue Zhong thought as he looked at the female zombies. Their once youthful and lively faces were now torn and mangled, a tragic sight. These girls, who should have been enjoying their lives, had been reduced to mindless, flesh-eating monsters.

Bone, however, had no such sentimental thoughts. It dashed forward, swinging its axe and decapitating a female zombie in one clean motion.

Ji Qingwu moved like a whirlwind, her beginner's stick striking like a snake as she smashed the zombies' heads.

Yue Zhong also charged into the group, efficiently killing the zombies.