Is This Still Human

[Ding! Task completed: Kill two Gluttons within 720 seconds]

[Reward issued: 2000 points, 1x 50% discount opportunity in the mall]

Ning Yu had two theories in mind.

One possibility was that mutated zombies could sense Awakened Ones and gain some benefit from them, which was why they always targeted the Awakened Ones.

Another possibility was that these tasks might be deliberately designed, meaning someone in the base must be arranging these tasks to deliberately guide encounters between Awakened Ones and mutated zombies.

If it was the former, the logic seemed sound.

But if it was the latter, why would they do this? What benefit would there be in making their own kind fight mutated zombies?

While pondering this, Ning Yu took out the T-virus serum extractor from her bag. Since Ji Mengyao and Wu Di weren't on this mission with her, she had applied for one herself.

She gave one to Shen Yiyue to extract from the zombie she had just killed, while Ning Yu went to extract from the one she had sliced in half and kicked to the ground.

After they both finished collecting, they entered the food street's main entrance.

The entrance plaza was complete chaos, a literal hell on earth, with blood stains, exploded flesh pieces, and severed limbs everywhere.

There was also a burnt stench from where intense heat had incinerated zombie flesh and bones into ash - essentially cremating them on the spot.

The food stalls and shops were distributed along both sides of the street. Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue split up, one on each side, and began entering the shops.

Like rent collectors, they went from shop to shop, except they weren't collecting money - they were collecting zombie lives.

Most of these shops were empty of goods, probably taken by people when they fled.

From her side of the shops, Ning Yu could hear the point-scoring notifications as Shen Yiyue killed zombies on the opposite side, as they were clearing the shops in parallel.

They would each clear one shop before moving on to the next one on their respective sides, staying roughly level with each other to avoid getting too far apart in case of danger.

However, there probably wouldn't be any major dangers now, as Ning Yu was constantly monitoring with [Detection (Intermediate)]. If any mutated zombies appeared, she would know immediately.

Ning Yu casually kicked open another shop door - no need to care about property damage now - acting like a bandit.

This shop used to sell liangpi and stinky tofu, but it was completely empty, without a single zombie.

Ning Yu keenly noticed a detail - there was very little dust in this shop, unlike the previous ones which were clearly covered in thick dust.

She looked up at the stairs. Most of the food street shops had second floors for living quarters and storage, with the first floor for business.

The upper floor looked quite spacious.

Slightly blurring her vision's focus, Ning Yu activated [Future Reading].

[Detection (Intermediate)] hadn't indicated any mutated zombies, but that didn't mean there weren't any humans.

The noise from kicking the door had been loud, and if there were people, they might be alert now. Ning Yu moved like a cat, minimizing her footsteps as she slowly climbed the stairs.

Just as she reached the second floor, the lighting was poor, but Ning Yu's eyesight was exceptional, including the ability to see clearly in dim conditions.

In the darkness, two figures with axes were positioned on either side of the stairway entrance.

When they saw someone's head appear, they swung their axes down viciously, one high and one low.

The axes seemed to strike their target, and both men grinned savagely, but their smiles quickly froze.

What they had hit was merely an empty sack, and their forceful swings had met nothing but air.

Their hearts sank as they realized they'd been tricked.

But it was too late - behind them, a pale red light appeared in the air: a beautiful, bewitching blade held by a silver-haired girl.

Ning Yu, standing behind them, delivered a silent strike. Everything ended in the quiet darkness.

Two heads fell to the floor, then rolled down the stairs Ning Yu had just climbed, one after another in a rhythmic pattern.

"Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Like drums beating against the wooden stairs.

Fresh blood flowed down the stairs as well, staining the wooden steps red, as if laying down a crimson carpet.

Ning Yu walked to the second-floor window and pulled open the curtains. Light immediately flooded the gloomy second floor, increasing the brightness several levels.

"Don't move!"

Another voice sounded behind Ning Yu.

Ning Yu showed no urgency, finishing pulling the curtain to its fullest extent and opening the window before turning around.

A middle-aged man was holding a silver handgun with both hands, aimed at Ning Yu.

Ning Yu looked him up and down. He wore very tight sleeveless shirt and shorts but wasn't muscular - he didn't even have pecs.

Someone like him surviving until now was probably only due to the gun in his hands.

"Put your weapon down and raise your hands! Now!"

"Aren't you worried about attracting zombies, shouting so loudly?"

He was staring intently at the Blood Kite in her hand, fear evident in his voice.

Ning Yu stared directly into the dark barrel of the gun without a trace of fear.

"I heard the explosion earlier... the zombies outside... they were all blown up, was that you?!"

The man looked like he had just gotten out of bed, judging by his attire.

"Put down your weapon! Or I'll shoot!"

Ning Yu ignored his question and completely disregarded his threat, instead showing a playful smile.

Her curiosity piqued, she began slowly walking toward the man, not lowering her weapon.

"Bang!"

Seeing Ning Yu's approach, the man immediately fired.

This was exactly what Ning Yu had anticipated - she had already seen herself dodging the bullet in [Future Reading].

However, Ning Yu wasn't satisfied with just this. In an instant, she memorized the bullet's trajectory, and while dodging, she struck out with an incredibly fast slash.

"Clang!"

The man almost lost his grip on the gun, his eyes widening to the size of copper bells.

Because Ning Yu had sliced the bullet in half with one strike, and the pieces fell to the ground!

She was not only unharmed but had actually cut the incoming bullet - was she even human?!

"What's wrong, out of bullets?"

Ning Yu tilted her head, showing a mocking smile.

"Damn it!"

The man shouted in anger and raised his gun to fire again.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Clang! Clang!"

He fired three shots in succession, but there were only two sounds of Ning Yu deflecting bullets.

Did one hit her?!

However, what happened next terrified him:

Ning Yu was slowly pulling back her hand, holding a bullet between her index and middle fingers.

"Thud!"

She carelessly dropped the bullet to the floor, where it began to roll.

The man nearly collapsed at the sight - this girl had caught a bullet with her bare hands?!