She’s Fiercer Than Zombies - Chapter 24

Qiao Gaogao looked at Qiao Muyi and asked sincerely, “Mom, how did you manage it?”

Qiao Muyi: “I tricked her into eating candy.”

Qiao Gaogao: “…”

Qi Miao and the others nearby: “…”

When they stepped outside to check, they found Yinxi standing dazedly at the door. Hearing the commotion, she slightly turned her head to look at them.

Everyone stared at Yinxi, feeling that something about her had changed, but they couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

“Senior!” came Qiao Gaogao’s wail from inside she was stuck in bed and couldn’t go out to see!

Hearing her voice, Yinxi hurriedly walked inside and saw Qiao Gaogao’s sparkling eyes.

As soon as Yinxi moved, everyone noticed the change: her movements were clearly much smoother than before!

Previously, her actions had felt noticeably stiff, but now she seemed a bit more agile, and the stiffness wasn’t as severe as it had been.

Qiao Gaogao obviously noticed this too and couldn’t help feeling thrilled. Did this mean that as long as Senior absorbed more crystal core energy, her body could become as flexible as a normal person’s?

After entering, Yinxi sat gloomily by the bed, her gaze fixed intently on Qiao Muyi. It was clear she knew she had been tricked, but since she couldn’t speak, she could only stare at her like that, making her bear the weight of her conscience.

Qiao Muyi coughed lightly and averted her eyes. “Since Gaogao is fine now, I should get back to work.”

With that, she turned and quickly left the room.

Seeing Qiao Muyi leave, the others sensed the awkwardness and swiftly followed her out.

Qiao Gaogao: “…”

She looked up and met Yinxi’s gaze, forcing an ingratiating smile as she softly called out, “Senior.”

Yinxi pointed angrily at her wound. If Qiao Gaogao had used that crystal core herself, her abilities would definitely have improved! With stronger abilities, she wouldn’t get injured so easily in the future!

Qiao Gaogao knew Yinxi was worried about her and felt a warm glow in her heart. She took Yinxi’s hand and gently shook it. “Senior, I’m strong enough missing out on a couple of crystal cores won’t hurt me!”

Yinxi stared blankly at her, then reached out and pinched her cheek, a look of confusion on her face.

Her cheek didn’t feel thick at all?

Qiao Gaogao: “…”

“Senior!” Qiao Gaogao was utterly embarrassed was this an indirect way of saying she had a thick skin?

Yinxi withdrew her hand and picked up the other crystal core lying on Qiao Gaogao’s bed. Just as Qiao Gaogao thought she was finally willing to eat it voluntarily, Yinxi suddenly looked at her.

Qiao Gaogao was puzzled. “Sen, mmph!”

Before she could finish, Yinxi swiftly shoved the crystal core into her mouth. Strangely, although the crystal core felt hard to the touch, it instantly melted in her mouth, transforming into a stream of pure energy that flowed through her limbs.

Qiao Gaogao: “…”

She looked at Yinxi and saw a hint of smug satisfaction on her face, as if she had gotten her revenge.

Qiao Gaogao was speechless again, but she could clearly feel her weakened body gradually regaining strength, and the pain from her wound lessening significantly.

“Grrr!” Yinxi looked quite pleased with herself. Serves them right for ganging up to trick her now they’d been tricked too!

Qiao Gaogao took a deep breath and chuckled wryly. “Senior really doesn’t like to be at a disadvantage, does she?”

Yinxi let out a soft hum, taking it as a compliment.

“How are you feeling now?” Qiao Gaogao held her hand, examining it carefully. Aside from noticing that her movements seemed more agile, she couldn’t detect anything else unusual.

Yinxi shook her head, indicating she felt nothing out of the ordinary.

Seeing her shake her head, Qiao Gaogao fell into thought. Perhaps more crystal cores were needed?

With this in mind, it seemed they would have to venture out to gather more crystal cores. However, she also needed to improve her own abilities. If her skills remained weak, incidents like yesterday’s would likely recur.

During Qiao Gaogao’s recovery period, many more members of their team awakened supernatural abilities. Moreover, Qiao Muyi had officially decided on the name of their base, the same as their former martial arts school:

Tianxia Base.

After learning about the rapid evolution of the zombies, Qiao Muyi, as the base leader, felt an increasing sense of urgency. All those who had awakened abilities were now led by Qiao’s father, who taught them basic martial arts while also requiring them to leave the base and face zombies in real combat for practical experience.

As for the ordinary people in the base who had not yet awakened any abilities, they followed the martial arts instructors to learn self-defense techniques while also contributing to the construction and development of the base.

As Qiao Gaogao’s injuries gradually healed, she began joining the ability-users on missions to clear out zombies. Occasionally, they encountered slightly stronger zombies with gray crystal cores, but she now handled them with ease.

However, they had yet to encounter any zombies as formidable as the one that had injured her.

During their zombie-clearing missions, they also rescued many survivors. As the base’s population grew, managing it effectively became another challenge. Fortunately, Qiao Muyi possessed strong leadership skills, and so far, no major issues had arisen.

Yet, as time passed, Yinxi’s condition began to deteriorate.

Yinxi lay listlessly on the sofa in her room, her gaze fixed blankly on the ceiling, not blinking at all.

Her entire being seemed lifeless and devoid of energy. The once bright, albeit cloudy, gleam in her eyes had now completely faded.

Qiao Gaogao crouched beside Yinxi, watching her haggard and dispirited state, her nose tingling with sorrow.

Lately, she couldn’t understand what was happening to her senior. Her spirit was gradually weakening. Before, she could still communicate with growls, but now she hardly even bothered to growl.

“Senior, you won’t leave me, right?” Qiao Gaogao gripped Yinxi’s hand, her voice choked with emotion. Yinxi’s current state made it impossible for her to feel at ease.

Her injuries showed no signs of healing, and her spirit was fading bit by bit, how could anyone feel reassured?

Yinxi parted her lips slightly but ultimately made no sound. Instead, she twitched her nose and gently nudged Qiao Gaogao’s hand with her head.

Watching Yinxi grow weaker by the day drove Qiao Gaogao nearly mad. Seeing her turn into a zombie had already been painful enough, and now this was happening on top of it.

She didn’t even know why Yinxi was weakening!

Naturally, Qiao Gaogao wasn’t the only one who noticed Yinxi’s condition. When Qiao Muyi came to check on them, she too felt distressed seeing Yinxi’s state.

“Gaogao, the base’s affairs are mostly stable now. You should take Xiao Yin and leave.”

“Mom!” Qiao Gaogao stared blankly at Qiao Muyi.

Qiao Muyi raised her hand to ruffle the girl’s hair, then gently stroked Yinxi’s brows and eyes. Her voice deepened slightly as she said, “Didn’t you say Yinxi’s parents are experts in biology? Go and see what’s going on with her.”

Yinxi stared blankly at Qiao Muyi, while Qiao Gaogao looked guilty, murmuring incoherently without being able to form words.

“Don’t worry, alright? With just me and your dad here, who could possibly bully us?” Qiao Muyi tousled her hair again, turning it into a messy bird’s nest, and chuckled, “Alright, enough of this nonsense. The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll return that’s what matters most!”

“Mom, thank you.” Qiao Gaogao’s eyes reddened. It had always been like this whatever she wanted to do, her mother would support her unconditionally.

Qiao Muyi smiled, then glanced at Yinxi one last time before leaving with a heavy heart.

“Senior!” Qiao Gaogao held Yinxi’s hand. The once jade-like, plump skin now seemed to be gradually withering, as if life were slowly draining from her body.

This realization nearly drove Qiao Gaogao mad.

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