The Zombie I Flirted With After Losing My Memory, Who Was Pretending to be an Alpha, Is Actually My Ex - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Rescued

The scent of a living human was a fatal temptation for the zombies. They clawed frantically at the cabinet, causing the tall locker to wobble precariously. Teng Xi had no time to hesitate.

She unfastened the curtain from her chest, let the child slide down her back, and twisted the fabric into a thick rope to wrap around the child. Propping her right hand inside the ventilation duct, she used a burst of strength to thrust herself inside while her other hand gripped the makeshift rope tightly.

Teng Xi was fully focused. She knew this was a gamble; one slip would not only drop the child but drag her down too, especially since her left arm had just been dislocated. However, she had underestimated her own strength. Her previously dislocated left hand exploded with a mysterious power, supporting them just long enough for her to switch to her free right hand.

Halfway through the pull, Teng Xi felt resistance—a zombie that had climbed onto the medicine cabinet had snatched the end of the long curtain. Gritting her teeth, Teng Xi let go of the curtain and grabbed the child’s arm, hauling her inside.

Only when both were lying safely within the ventilation duct did Teng Xi let out a breath, her blood boiling with the rush of survival.

Through the duct, she could hear the horde snarling below. Teng Xi poked her head out to see a zombie about to climb the locker via the pile of corpses. She propped herself up at the edge of the opening and delivered a powerful kick to the locker, sending it crashing into the pile with a loud thud. Her toes narrowly missed a zombie’s bloody claws as she withdrew.

Once certain they were safe, Teng Xi turned on her flashlight and looked at the child. “Little Bird, stay here, okay? The stars are with you.” The only response was the incessant howling of the zombies below.

The duct was narrow, so Teng Xi had to lie flat beside the child. She reached out, took the cocktail umbrella from the child’s hospital gown pocket, and tucked it into her hair. A slip of paper slid out from the pocket along with the small umbrella.

The flashlight beam flickered as Teng Xi picked up the paper and unfolded it.

A map!

Teng Xi looked at the child with a complicated gaze, straightened her messy clothes, and whispered, “Little Mushroom, it was nice to meet you.”

After a long silence, she gathered her emotions and began crawling into the pitch-black duct.

She didn’t know where the end was; the map only gave her a general direction. After checking several rooms, despair began to set in. Every room was flooded with zombies, scenes of carnage with no living soul in sight.

Looking at the last bag of potato chips in her backpack, Teng Xi realized she couldn’t hide in the vents forever, or she would starve to death before a zombie could bite her.

Finally, after studying the map carefully and gambling on fate—days after her initial awakening—she smelled the faint scent of food, though the stench of rot was stronger. She checked her map one last time; this was definitely the kitchen.

Perhaps the “corpse tide” had hit outside of mealtimes, as there were only six zombies in the kitchen. Teng Xi gauged her own ability and felt a one-on-six fight was manageable. However, the priority was closing the kitchen door, which connected to the hallway. The solid brick walls made it impossible to estimate how many zombies were outside.

Teng Xi steeled herself for the gamble. She crossed herself and muttered, “Goddess of Mercy, Brother Buddha, Allah, Uncle Jesus… please bless me.”

Having prayed to every deity she knew, Teng Xi timed her move and flipped gracefully onto the floor without a sound. There were three zombies to her front-left, two to her rear-right, and one not far to her left; she had landed perfectly in their blind spots.

To close the door, she had to take out the three in front first.

Teng Xi grabbed a chef’s knife, tested the weight, and crept behind the nearest zombie. With a swift, precise strike, the blade pierced the skull, spraying dark green brain matter. Ignoring the mess, she ducked a lunge from another zombie and sprinted toward the door. She could already see the silhouettes of more zombies drawn by the noise outside!

But luck had been against her since she woke up. The third zombie was already upon her while she was still hunched over. As its claws reached for her chest, she slammed a palm into the ground, swung her legs through the air to pin the zombie’s arms, and twisted her body upward. Defying gravity, she sprang up, using her full weight to drive the zombie to its knees, and plunged her scalpel deep into its forehead.

The stench filled her nose as she knelt, staring at the kitchen door. It was too late. The horde from the hallway was pouring in.

“Damn it! It’s not even lunchtime! What are you all in such a rush for? The cafeteria auntie might have shaky hands, but she’ll still feed you!” Teng Xi grumbled. She didn’t know if the asylum’s cafeteria staff had shaky hands, but looking at the incoming swarm, her own hands were starting to shake.

She wondered if she could make it back to the vent. She couldn’t. The three zombies from the back were closing in. She rolled across the floor to dodge an attack. Roughly counting, there were about twenty newcomers. She was lucky it wasn’t a peak dining hour, or she would have been buried in seconds.

She still needed to close that door to stop more from hearing the commotion. Teng Xi fought while retreating, her mind racing. “Goddess of Mercy, Brother Buddha, please show yourselves and help me just once!” she wailed, throwing a knife that hit a zombie square in the head. Even if she had two fists, she couldn’t fight forty hands!

This time, heaven seemed to hear her.

The door was suddenly slammed shut and locked by an unseen force. The zombies noticed the movement and turned to attack the newcomer. A figure joined the fray from the doorway, drawing much of the pressure away. Teng Xi found her rhythm again, and the two of them fought in tandem, turning the scene into a two-person beatdown of the horde.

Teng Xi used a pot lid as a shield and swung a watermelon knife with blinding speed. When the last zombie fell, she nearly wept with joy, wanting to hug her savior. “My savior! You are my family!”

Opposite her stood a tall woman with her back turned, leaning over to pull a chipped kitchen knife out of a zombie’s head. The woman had a shoulder-length wolf-cut hairstyle; as she bent over, the hair brushed her shoulders, revealing striking red tips transitioning naturally from a black base. She wore a white lab coat—sacred white stained with black blood—that reached her thighs, paired with straight-leg jeans and… Crocs?

Slippers? Teng Xi’s mouth twitched. She hadn’t expected someone in slippers to have such high combat prowess.

The woman hadn’t turned around yet, but Teng Xi sensed she was beautiful—the kind of beauty that felt aggressive. Her habit of talking nonsense kicked in: “Doctor Sister, you are my life-saver. I have nothing to offer in return, but I am willing to give you my body in marr—”

The last word died in her throat as the woman turned around. Teng Xi raised her watermelon knife, her warmth replaced by wariness.

A zombie!

But unlike the hideous creatures on the floor, this “zombie” had clear, bright eyes and deep-set sockets. Her beautiful “peach blossom” eyes were slightly squinted, the corners tinged with red. She wore silver-rimmed, half-frame glasses—the perfect image of a stoic, “cool older sister.”

Her gaze wasn’t friendly; it was like a deity looking down on a mortal. It was nothing like the dull, vacant stare of a normal zombie. A scar at the end of her left eyebrow formed a “broken brow” look that added to her dominant aura.

Teng Xi spoke tentatively: “Doctor Sister?”

The zombie doctor’s frown deepened.

“Doctor Sister? Are you a human or a zombie?” Teng Xi felt the question was ridiculous, so she rephrased: “Do you still have human consciousness?” The doctor stared at her without moving, but Teng Xi caught a flash of anger across her face.

Teng Xi rubbed her nose, unsure of what she said wrong, but she was now certain this zombie had a mind of her own.

Ten minutes later, Teng Xi held out a pastry she found in the fridge to the doctor, who was sitting with her knees pulled up. “Doctor Sister, want a pastry? Can zombies even eat?” As expected, she received a cold glare. She shrunk back and stuffed a piece into her own mouth; the cloying sweetness made her wince.

“Heh.” A raspy, mocking sound came from the doctor, like a broken squawk. Teng Xi tried to hold it in but burst out laughing.

Clang! The sound of metal hitting metal rang through the quiet room as Teng Xi reflexively drew her watermelon knife to block a kitchen knife swung by the woman.

“Sister! My mistake! Don’t be mad! If you get sick from anger, no one can replace your health!” Teng Xi immediately put on a pitiful face.

Internally, she was screaming: Holy shit! This woman is too strong! She was using two hands just to barely hold back a strike from the woman’s single hand.

Little Mushroom’s “stars” had said she was the “only Alpha.” Only Alpha my ass! Anyone can be a Beta, but this woman is definitely an Alpha!