C17 Yaya Left the Country!

Lin Chen was staying at the Cloud Hotel, a name inspired by the phrase "guests arriving like clouds."

It was about eight-thirty in the morning, and tranquility seemed to have been restored within the hotel, while the distant screams outside had faded away. The zombies, if left undisturbed, would remain quietly in their rooms. Those destined to be devoured had met their fate, and the survivors were huddled in their rooms, shivering in silence, anxiously awaiting government rescue.

Naturally, a few individuals with strength and courage had managed to make their escape.

Zombies shuffled through the hallways of each floor, emitting habitual hisses. Upon encountering any living being, they would howl and lunge forward in a frenzy to tear and consume.

Their interest was piqued only by the scent of living flesh and blood; they showed no concern for their infected kin.

The Cloud Hotel could accommodate roughly a thousand guests, and the previous day's occupancy was at sixty percent. This meant that over seven hundred people were present when the catastrophe struck, not including the hotel's own staff.

Lin Chen's psychic abilities allowed him to survey the entire hotel. He discovered nearly five hundred zombies and only about one hundred and fifty survivors hiding in their rooms.

The virus had transformed over four hundred individuals into zombies, who then slaughtered more than a hundred others. Half of the victims were consumed entirely, while the rest were partially eaten and subsequently turned into zombies, swelling their ranks.

In the midst of this chaos, three people underwent a physical mutation driven by intense fear and the will to survive, with one individual awakening a fire-based Extrasensory Perception. Such transformations or awakenings significantly boosted their physical condition, granting them resistance to the virus and enabling them and a handful of others to escape.

Lin Chen had a clear understanding of the zombies' distribution across the floors and soon located an isolated one. With a swift stroke of his sword, the zombie was incapacitated before it could summon reinforcements. Lin Chen shattered its limbs with the flat of his blade, leaving it prone on the ground.

He then thrust his sword into the zombie's mouth, mashing its tongue to prevent any cries for help, and dragged the creature back to the room, tossing it before Lin Ya.

The zombie lay on its back, gazing up at Lin Ya.

"Yaya, it's your call. Steam it, roast it, whatever you prefer—I'm not fussed. Just make sure it's put out of its misery," Lin Chen casually remarked from his spot on the couch.

Before long, the room was heavy with the stench of decay.

The zombie on the floor glared at Lin Ya with wide, blood-red eyes, oozing a ravenous hunger. Though unable to move, it twisted its body desperately, trying to inch closer to her.

Lin Ya felt nauseous.

In that moment, she was tempted to give up.

But recalling the bold promises she had made to her brother and thinking of her distant parents, she summoned her courage, lifted her sword, closed her eyes, and plunged it into the zombie.

She felt the blade pierce the zombie's flesh and quickly withdrew it.

Opening her eyes, she saw the gaping wound she had inflicted on the zombie's chest, from which a dark, crimson liquid oozed. A more potent stench wafted through the air.

She couldn't hold back any longer and vomited.

Lin Chen remained silent, observing the unfolding scene with a calm demeanor.

Eventually, Lin Ya stood defiantly before the zombie and thrust her sword once more.

This time, with her eyes shut, she struck the zombie's ear.

On her third attempt, Lin Ya forced her eyes open and aimed for the zombie's neck, finally piercing it.

Yet the zombie still lived.

Seized by a sudden ferocity, Lin Ya hoisted her sword aloft and brought it down with a vicious chop, severing the zombie's neck. Its head tumbled away.

Gazing at the severed head on the floor, Lin Ya froze. It was then that Lin Chen's soothing voice reached her, "Yaya, well done."

Lin Ya turned stiffly to face Lin Chen, then, overcome with emotion, she flung herself into his arms, sobbing.

Lin Chen tenderly stroked her back, offering comfort.

After some time, Lin Ya pulled away, a flush of embarrassment coloring her face. "Brother, I must have looked foolish," she said.

Lin Chen replied with heartfelt sincerity, "Yaya, don't be too hard on yourself. For your first fight, having the courage to act is commendable. It'll get easier with time."

In his past life, Lin Chen witnessed countless people who, upon encountering zombies, instinctively fled without even considering fighting back. He, too, had reacted the same way during the early days of the apocalypse. Some were even paralyzed with fear, helplessly watching as the zombies devoured them.

After hurling a battered zombie out the window, Lin Chen retrieved a second one, its limbs shattered.

Lin Ya had decapitated this one.

She had mastered the use of her mental powers to suppress the urge to vomit.

Once Lin Ya had dispatched two more zombies, Lin Chen deliberately left the fifth one with its arms intact, prompting a chase between it and Lin Ya within the confines of the house.

Lin Chen challenged Lin Ya to evade the zombie's lunges for a minimum of five minutes.

Initially flustered, Lin Ya quickly adapted, using the evasion techniques Lin Chen had taught her to toy with the zombie.

Through this ordeal, Lin Ya's terror of zombies vanished. And with the fall of several more, the haunting guilt of 'having killed' dissipated from her mind.

After five minutes, Lin Ya's sword swung with ease, granting the zombie its release.

The next challenge was to dodge two incapacitated zombies simultaneously.

And after that, three.

...

"Okay, Yaya, take a break and grab a bite to eat, then we'll move on to live combat training."

"Oh, brother, I didn't realize how hungry I was until you mentioned it."

...

By ten in the morning, two hours post-disaster, Lin Chen and Lin Ya stepped out of their room at the Cloud Hotel. Lin Ya took her position in the corridor as Lin Chen went to draw a zombie towards them for practical combat training.

This time, Lin Chen's directive was for Lin Ya to dispatch the zombie as swiftly as possible.

Sword in hand, Lin Ya stood in the hallway, a mix of nerves and excitement bubbling within her.

In that moment, Lin Ya brimmed with self-assurance, her confidence stemming from her newfound strength, the weapon she wielded, and the unwavering support and protection from her brother.

The sound of footsteps, "Ta, ta, ta!" echoed as Lin Chen quickly rounded the corner of the walkway, a zombie in hot pursuit.

With swift strides, Lin Chen positioned himself behind Lin Ya.

"Yaya, take it down!"

The zombie, now fixated on Lin Ya, extended its hands in a grasping lunge.

Lin Ya's eyes sparkled, and with instinctive agility, she darted to the left, narrowly evading the outstretched arms of the zombie. Her sword gleamed as she delivered a swift backhanded slash.

The zombie's head soared through the air as its body thudded to the ground.

"Beautiful!"

Lin Chen couldn't resist applauding Lin Ya, utterly amazed by her natural aptitude for combat.

In a mere two hours, Lin Ya had transformed from a genteel lady into a formidable female warrior capable of dispatching zombies in a blink, all while keeping her cool.

"Yaya, you're incredible. I'm so proud of you."

"Hmph, brother, you're just realizing this now!" Lin Ya said with a proud tilt of her nose.

"Brother, what's our next move?" Lin Ya asked, itching for more action.

Lin Chen's gaze was intense. "Relax, I've got everything planned out."

He had mapped out their actions for the coming days.

Minutes later, Lin Chen shouldered a hefty backpack, weighing roughly seventy to eighty kilograms, sword in hand, and shut the door.

With the power out at Cloud Hotel, the electronic door lock was useless. Lin Chen had resorted to a mechanical lock from his storage space.

"Yaya, to make it through this apocalypse, we'll need a solid group of allies. That's why we're heading back to the dorm to save those trapped there."

"The elevator's out of service. We'll stick to the stairs and only deal with zombies that get in our way."

"Keep this small water bottle safe, and take a sip when you need a boost."

"Brother, are you using your energy to create this energy water again?!"

"Don't worry, I've got it under control. From now on, I'll follow behind you. I'll only intervene if you're in grave danger. Also, when we encounter others, don't mention my dreams about the future. Once we're out and more people with Extrasensory Perception start showing up, you can 'unleash' your abilities during battle at the right moment. I'll do the same, revealing my powers when the time is right."

"And about the energy water, let's keep that to ourselves for now. In fact, it's best to keep all details about me just between us."

"Understood, bro. Rest assured, your sister isn't foolish."

Lin Ya led the way, with Lin Chen trailing behind, his back laden with a large backpack. They made their way up the staircase.

Watching Yaya move with careful caution ahead, Lin Chen couldn't help but smile with a sense of relief.

In this cursed post-apocalyptic world, the quicker Yaya adapted, the more peace of mind Lin Chen had.

Lin Ya blazed a trail ahead, with Lin Chen following at a steady pace.

As they passed by several rooms, a sudden banging erupted from within one of them.

Startled, Lin Ya glanced back at Lin Chen.

With a reassuring smile, Lin Chen explained, "The zombies inside heard our footsteps and caught the scent of our blood and flesh. They're getting restless. But don't worry, they can't get out right now."

Currently, the zombies were dealing with a malfunctioning nervous system, which had unleashed their muscle tissue, rendering them insensible to pain and nearly twice as strong as an average person. Yet, their balance system hadn't adjusted in the first three days, so their top speed was no more than a brisk walking pace for a normal person.

Moreover, their vision had severely deteriorated, forcing them to rely on hearing and smell to track down prey.

Any reasonably brave person could avoid being caught by zombies, as long as they didn't venture too close. But once caught, escaping was a formidable challenge.

Passing room after room, Lin Ya's extrasensory perception detected zombies in most of them, with a few rooms sheltering survivors.

Rounding a corner, they reached the stairwell, where two zombies meandered, obstructing the descent.

Lin Ya held her breath, surged forward, and beheaded one zombie before it could even react.

The other zombie let out a howl and lunged at her, but Lin Ya nimbly sidestepped and delivered a swift decapitating strike.

The path downstairs was now clear.

With this, Lin Ya had taken her first step into the brutal reality of the apocalypse, entering a new and perilous realm.