The Butcher

Shen Yiyue felt a glimmer of hope stirring within her.

If there were still survivors, could her sister possibly be among them?

Standing at the entrance, Ning Yu suddenly handed her a small blue capsule from the side.

It emitted a faint fragrance, and there was a recessed "T" on its surface.

"Take this, and then we'll go in."

The zombies in Tianshen Elementary School were significantly more dense, so it was necessary to ensure Shen Yiyue's safety in advance.

Seeing the silver-haired little loli hand her a bottle of water with an expression that seemed to say, 'Big Brother, it's time to take your medicine,' Shen Yiyue was a bit puzzled:

"Xiaoyu... what is this?"

"A medicine that will prevent you from being infected by the virus even if you get injured. It only lasts for three hours."

Ning Yu's calm response was like a bomb exploding in Shen Yiyue's heart.

How could there be such a medicine?

The zombie virus had only broken out recently; how could Ning Yu have something like this?

Even if research had started on the day of the outbreak, it probably wouldn't have been completed in time, right?

But Shen Yiyue knew that these questions had nothing to do with her; asking them wouldn't benefit her. She had full trust in Ning Yu.

There were too many things about the silver-haired little loli that couldn't be explained by common sense; she was almost used to it.

Shen Yiyue didn't hesitate; she swallowed the immunity capsule with water and handed back the unfinished bottle for Ning Yu to take:

"I won't tell anyone about this."

"Mm, let's go."

Upon hearing this, Ning Yu revealed an expression that seemed to say, 'You're indeed a smart person,' and turned towards the security room at the entrance of Tianshen Elementary School.

Inside the security room lay a corpse wearing a security guard uniform, its head already smashed and the body somewhat withered, indicating it had been dead for a long time.

Shen Yiyue followed into the security room, where Ning Yu was already clearing the shattered glass from the windows.

The two prepared to enter Tianshen Elementary School through this window.

After each climbed through, Ning Yu pointed towards the direction behind the teaching building and said:

"That person went towards the back of the teaching building; let's follow. Have you ever been to your sister's school before?"

"No, my father always took her to and from school."

Shen Yiyue shook her head; she was completely unfamiliar with Tianshen Elementary School.

"Then let's go, we'll follow this path."

Ning Yu pointed to the corridor on the first floor of the teaching building, which was separated from the outside by a railing, making it a route with a smaller exposure area to enemies.

Her crimson blade was already in hand, and she swiftly cut down a little girl zombie that was howling and charging towards them.

Shen Yiyue followed closely, glancing at the little girl zombie's corpse as they passed by.

Then she let out a sigh of relief.

Their footsteps were light, attracting only a few zombies, all of which were swiftly cut down by the two, allowing them to reach the corridor safely.

Ning Yu moved from the corridor to a classroom window labeled "Class 3, Grade 6."

Through the bloodstained, tattered window, she glanced at the situation inside the classroom:

The desks were scattered on the ground, covered in dust.

The blackboard inside still had the schedule for the day of the zombie outbreak.

Ning Yu softly asked Shen Yiyue:

"Do you remember if the chaos in City A broke out in the morning or afternoon?"

"It should have been in the afternoon; I forgot my exercise book and went home to get it at noon."

Shen Yiyue scanned the surroundings as she answered.

Ning Yu looked at the schedule and saw that the afternoon class was physical education.

Shen Yiyue also noticed Ning Yu's gaze and saw the schedule written in white chalk on the blackboard.

They exchanged a glance.

Continuing forward, they arrived at Class 2, Grade 6, where the situation was similar to the previous classroom.

The afternoon schedule on the blackboard also read:

Physical Education.

"Your sister might still be alive."

Ning Yu had a guess and whispered it to Shen Yiyue.

Shen Yiyue understood Ning Yu's meaning and nodded slightly.

The two walked along the corridor to the end, arriving at the back of the teaching building.

There were several buildings behind it, one that seemed to be a cafeteria, another possibly a teacher's dormitory, and a gymnasium.

"There might be survivors there."

"The entire sixth grade had physical education that afternoon. When the crisis suddenly broke out, they likely sought refuge nearby."

Ning Yu pointed to the distant gymnasium and calmly analyzed with Shen Yiyue.

Shen Yiyue's pretty face was already showing unconcealed excitement, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling with hope.

On the way to the gymnasium, there were some fallen zombies, likely killed by the figure they had seen earlier.

Just halfway there, Ning Yu suddenly heard a sound of something breaking through the air, moving at an extremely fast speed!

Her eyes narrowed, and she quickly turned around, her pupils contracting.

It was a massive hook, rusted and smeared with dried black blood.

The hook was covered with chilling barbs; if it hit, it would likely embed itself in the body and be difficult to remove.

It was hurtling towards Shen Yiyue with terrifying momentum!

There was no time to speak; Ning Yu suddenly charged forward, her crimson blade clashing with the incoming giant hook.

With a "clang!" the hook was deflected.

Shen Yiyue reacted, though slower than Ning Yu, and the hook, deflected by Ning Yu, still grazed her leg.

"Ah..."

Her snow-white leg was slashed open, blood flowing out.

She stifled her pain to avoid attracting more zombies.

But seeing the terrifying giant hook that had injured her, Shen Yiyue felt a chill run through her.

If Ning Yu hadn't blocked it, the hook might have pierced through her chest from behind, impaling her!

Ning Yu, who had collided with the giant hook, rolled backward to dissipate the impact.

Her grip on the blade was slightly numb; her expression turned serious.

What astonishing strength.

The giant hook, having missed its target, was quickly retracted, dragging along sparks of metal friction on the ground.

Following the direction the hook was pulled back, Ning Yu looked up sharply.

On the rooftop of a nearby building, she saw a creature so revolting that it made one's skin crawl.

Its hideous body was naked, covered in strange stitches, its belly torn open, oozing disgusting mucus and black blood.

Its monstrously thick arms were twisted and grotesque, one holding a bloodstained giant cleaver, the other retracting the terrifying metal hook.

Its massive, bloated body was the most horrifying, as it was stitched with several human heads, many of them children's.

The children's heads were clearly long dead, their eyes wide open in a ghastly stare, only showing the whites, their expressions pained, bleeding from the seven orifices.

It seemed they had been stitched on after being taken from the surroundings.

Another of these monsters!

Ning Yu immediately activated her [Scout] skill.

[Detected: Butcher (Low-level)]

[Location: 9 o'clock direction, approximately 200 meters, vertical height difference 65 meters]

[Information: A large, powerful mutated zombie. Typically uses a giant hook to pull victims close, dismembers and eats them, then sews parts of the corpses onto itself.]

[Weakness: ??? (Upgrade skill to mid-level to view)]

Shen Yiyue also showed a horrified expression.

She had seen many ordinary zombies, but this kind of creature that caused mental pollution just by looking at it was her first encounter.

The Butcher retracted its hook and let out a disgusting roar, its thick, ugly arms waving.

From the rooftop, it swung a second hook!