*Click-flicker —*
Rows of lights flickered on as we stepped inside, extending all the way to the end of the corridor. A pungent, foul odor lingered within.
I stayed alert, my gaze shifting from the white lights to the ceiling, and then from the ceiling to the floor.
“It’s so quiet in here.”
“…Why do you think it’s called the Reality border?”
I stuck my tongue out.
*Tap, tap —*
Footsteps echoed through the corridor, overlapping.
On the ground, other items gradually appeared: a pocket watch missing half its face, a white lab coat, and several packs of Compressed Biscuits scattered about.
*Crunch, crunch, crunch…* “Blech, this is gross.”
I spat it out with a grimace.
“Don’t just eat things you find on the ground.”
“I wasn’t ‘just’ eating anything. They’re biscuits.”
“…Don’t eat things from the ground.”
“Oh… But what if a lollipop grew out of the ground?”
“Then the world would be insane.”
He stopped, gestured for me to be quiet, and then leaned over to peer around the corner.
I leaned in curiously. Two heads — one large, one small — peered around the wall. At the end of the corner, a figure stood swaying in the darkness where the light couldn’t reach.
‘Is it a bad guy?’
I looked up at Lu Xiu, but could only see the stubble on his chin.
I swallowed hard.
‘Lu Xiu’s neck looks like a braised duck neck.’
‘I kind of want to take a bite.’
We observed for a moment. He watched the shadow, and I watched him.
Finally, Lu Xiu backed away, pulling me with him.
“It’s probably some kind of demon’s kin…”
“Lu Xiu, I’m hungry.”
He closed his eyes, pulling a lollipop from his pocket as if resigning himself to fate.
“Whoa! A wild lollipop!”
“Keep it down —”
“Right, right.”
I tore off the wrapper and gave a piece to the mouth on the stomach before eating the rest of the candy myself.
Sweet, sweet, sweet.
“I’ll pin it down in a moment. You take the opportunity to finish it off. Move fast. Do you understand?”
“Uh-huh,” I mumbled with a nod.
“Good.” He pulled out his usual silver and black gun and loaded it with yellow paper bullets. After finishing, he looked at me and gave a slight nod.
Then he spun around, stepped out from the wall, and gripped the gun with both hands, aiming the muzzle at the slowly turning shadow.
*Bang —*
A flash of eerie blue sparks flickered, and the yellow paper bullet shot out. It pierced through the air resistance, creating a small white shockwave as it slammed straight into the center of the target’s forehead.
Taking advantage of the momentary stun, I instantly lunged from behind Lu Xiu. Crimson taotie motifs spread across my skin as sharp claws snapped out.
I transformed into a crimson blur and flashed in front of the enemy, my claws curving like scythes.
*Rrrrrip —*
I easily tore the head off. Then, I kicked off the body with both feet, sending it flying. I landed steadily after a backflip in the air.
*Crack.*
The candy in my mouth cracked.
Lu Xiu walked over, crouched down, and inspected the head.
“Lu Xiu, was I cool or what — Ack —!”
I turned my head and saw the decapitated skull staring at me. Its mouth opened and closed, and a tongue like a blood leech writhed frantically.
‘Disgusting!!!’
*Bang!*
Lu Xiu fired another shot directly into the head. Only then did it fall silent, its wild tongue dropping and dangling from its mouth.
A crashing sound came from behind us. I turned around to see the headless corpse bumping into the wall.
“It’s a zombie…”
Lu Xiu stood up.
“It’s hard to kill them without completely destroying their physical tissue or structure.”
As he spoke, he swapped bullets and shot the body. Flames exploded, engulfing the charred corpse.
“The most common method is burning.”
“Then what about me? I can’t breathe fire.”
I frowned.
The smell of burning flesh grew stronger.
“Maybe you can shred them into meat floss?” Lu Xiu joked.
“…No thanks.”
‘A waste of time and effort for no reward.’
‘And gross.’
“Anyway, there might be a bunch more zombies ahead… If we’re lucky, we might even see the zombie demon.”
He finished reloading and kicked the motionless head aside.
“I kind of want to go back. This is such a pain.”
“After all, we’re going against a root demon. If it were that easy, anyone could just go and punch one.” He sighed. “Just treat it like a video game. You have to deal with the minions before the final boss.”
“Fine…” I swallowed the rest of the candy and patted my stomach.
Just as Lu Xiu said, the corridors further in were filled with wandering corpses. This crowded tide of bodies was easy to handle. Lu Xiu only needed to toss a few burning bottles to burn down large swaths of them.
However, there were always some special individuals — like the hulking brutes with swollen muscles, the frogmen with incredibly long tongues, and even big stomach bags that would self-detonate.
“Oh man, this really has turned into a zombie game!” Lu Xiu grumbled.
“What’s a ‘zombie game’?”
“I’ll tell you when we get back. No point in explaining now.”
He fired a few shots, blowing up a big stomach bag, and pulled me back. Corrosive stomach acid splashed against the wall, sizzling and emitting white smoke.
The surrounding zombies were also affected; some even had their brains melted out. It looked like quite an appetizing sight.
Before these pathetic minions could even show their power, they were shoved aside and crushed into paste by a brute from behind.
I immediately pressed my palms together. A giant bone hammer erupted from my hands and collided violently with the brute.
A dull thud rang through the corridor as the bone hammer held its ground against the giant zombie.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
Three bullets hit the giant zombie in rapid succession. Instantly, flames enveloped its body, crackling loudly.
The zombie let out a roar, only to find that Lu Xiu had already stepped onto the bone hammer to get right in its face.
*Click.*
A soft sound came from his palm. Lu Xiu stuffed a grenade with the pin pulled into its wide-open mouth.
Simultaneously, he drove his knee into its chin with a heavy thud. The giant zombie’s head snapped back, and then its interior exploded. Only half of its body remained, swaying before it toppled over.
*Tap.*
Lu Xiu landed, raised his gun, and headshotted a Changshe hiding among the zombie horde. The spreading flames burned the rest of the zombies to death.
“Does it feel a bit weak?”
I looked at the zombies, feeling confused. They weren’t just slow; they had no intelligence.
“That’s because there aren’t many corpses in this place… If you were in a city, it would probably be a different story,” Lu Xiu said, crushing a zombie’s head under his boot.
“A demon’s strength depends on its target. Even an ant devil can be a significant calamity if there are enough of them.”
He put his gun away, looked at the cleared corridor, and waved for me to follow him.
“Is there a demon that can constantly produce lollipops?”
Passing through the corridor, we entered a circular walkway leading into a spacious hall that resembled an amphitheater.
Countless seats were scattered in disarray, as if a silent calamity had struck. On a distant whiteboard, black ink had not yet faded, recording various formulas. The display screen above was a black void.
Lu Xiu led me toward a specific spot with practiced ease.
Green potted plants grew there, and many group photos hung on the walls. Some faces wore beaming smiles, while others were lost in thought. Behind them was a massive rocket.
Lu Xiu crossed this hallway and headed toward another, even wider path.
“Where are we going?” I asked, confused.
“To the basement,” he said, swiping an ID card to open the elevator doors. “The death demon is down there.”