Chapter 353: It Came Without Effort

Without Xiao Fanyi Xiao Ling, Zhang Su reopened the translation software and said to Kiku Maysakura: "Is it far from here?"

Kiku Maysakura said nothing, only shook her head and pointed toward the north gate.

This rural self-built house was a single-story flat, with four doors opening to the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest—standard for rural Qincheng housing. The group exited through the back door; ordinary homes opened directly onto a street, but this household was clearly a major one in the village, with a small vegetable patch behind the house, then the courtyard wall.

In the dog kennel beneath the wall lay two large wolfhounds, dead for who knew how long, frozen solid.

"Where are we going? Why not use the front gate… you, hey!"

Zhang Su looked around and saw no back door—he didn't understand what Kiku Maysakura was up for—until she leapt up, tapped the dog kennel with her toe, then used hands and feet to scale the wall, effortlessly standing atop it!

The wall wasn't very tall—only about two and a half meters—but Zhang Su knew only Pang Dakun could climb it so casually.

Wang Xin and the others exchanged glances; Lu Yubo's face darkened—the stronger the opponent, the more hollow he felt.

"What the hell are you showing off for? Fuck, you really think we're soft targets? You little Jap!"

Zhang Su was speechless. It wasn't over—Kiku Maysakura crouched on the wall and beckoned to him with her finger, her provocation unmistakable.

"Boss Zhang, let me help you!"

Wu Lue, seeing this, eagerly clasped his fingers together into a cup, signaling Zhang Su to step on them to climb up.

"No need!"

Zhang Su tightened his rifle strap, leapt up, and easily grabbed the wall's edge. With a pull-up using his raw physical strength, he hauled himself onto the wall. Though not as effortless as Kiku Maysakura or Pang Dakun, it was still an impressive display.

"Little girl, I'm telling you, stop with the tricks… huh?"

Standing on the wall, Zhang Su was about to scold Kiku Maysakura when he saw her raise a finger. He followed her gaze and saw a bald zombie hanging outside the wall, a pale purple patch on its scalp—unbright but unmistakable.

"Holy shit!"

Zhang Su grinned and called to the others about to climb: "There's a zombie hanging right outside the wall! Baka!"

"Huh?"

Lu Yubo moved fastest—his upper body already on the wall—then lost his grip at Zhang Su's words and fell back to the ground, glaring at Kiku Maysakura's back, vowing silently that one day he'd make this little Jap suffer.

One by one, the group climbed over the wall; only Su Xiaoya struggled badly, so Zhang Su told her to return inside and help pack.

"Boss Zhang, his clothes are the same as that venom zombie before!"

From the few remaining garments on the bald venom zombie, they could see it was an ordinary factory uniform—his identity confirmed: a worker from the Agrochemical Plant.

Zhang Su walked to the zombie's side, studied it closely, and noticed a hole the size of a thumb at its temple. He pointed and asked: "You killed it?"

Kiku Maysakura nodded naturally, making a thrusting motion.

"Where did you encounter it? Didn't it attack you?"

Zhang Su asked curiously, raising his phone.

"It wandered into the village. I ambushed it from the side. It never had time to attack me."

"Good, good, good…"

Zhang Su looked at Kiku Maysakura with mild disbelief. This woman was truly skilled but reckless—or perhaps just ignorant of danger. She'd learn pain if a venom zombie ever sprayed her!

Kiku Maysakura stared at the venom zombie, then spoke slowly.

"What's special about this kind of zombie?"

After checking the translation software, Zhang Su said: "Our camp's biologist is studying them. We don't know the details yet, but there's definitely something useful on its body—like this…"

Zhang Su didn't tell Kiku Maysakura about the venom raw fluid. Instead, he pulled a fisherman's cap from his bag and handed it to her: "What do you think is special about this?"

No need to hide it—she'd joined Tianma Island. As a combatant, she was clearly elite. Many secrets were no longer secrets; she'd get her share of the armor back at base.

Kiku Maysakura took the cap from Zhang Su's hand. The moment she touched it, her expression changed—her gaze turned serious as she stared at Zhang Su.

"Is this zombie skin?"

Zhang Su nodded inwardly. Whether she was experienced or just had razor-sharp intuition, she'd recognized the thalamus and now the petrified skin at once!

"We discovered zombies whose skin has mutated—hard as rock but still flexible. This material resists bullets and blade cuts."

As he spoke, Zhang Su took the cap back from Kiku Maysakura, drew his dagger, and slashed at it repeatedly. Ordinary cuts left no mark on the petrified skin cap.

Kiku Maysakura watched Zhang Su's actions intently, fascinated. When he finished, her expression suddenly darkened.

"If only I had my Kiku Ichi-gou…"

"Kiku Ichi-gou? What's that?"

Zhang Su asked, puzzled.

"My sword. I left it at the hotel. Wait—"

Mid-sentence, Kiku Maysakura froze. Her face changed. She stepped closer to Zhang Su, tense:

"Just now… the medicine you gave Xiao Ling—was it also…?"

If she could peel zombie skin to make armor, then using other strange tissues wouldn't be surprising!

Zhang Su hadn't expected her to be so perceptive—or so quick to connect dots—but he didn't flinch. He smiled faintly and shook his head: "You've got quite the imagination."

"Whether it is or isn't doesn't matter. As long as it heals the wound, it's good."

After hearing his answer, Kiku Maysakura relaxed.

"Exactly. Don't overthink it. Come on, Lue, Bo—get the zombie down. Kiku Maysakura, have you seen any other zombies like this nearby?"

Zhang Su called out to the group to move the zombie's body while asking.

Kiku Maysakura thought carefully, then slowly shook her head—she hadn't seen another.

"Good enough. Finding one is enough. Let's go. Back inside. Pack up. We're leaving."

Zhang Su led everyone around a side path to the front gate, tossed the venom zombie into the vehicle, then returned inside to gather supplies.

Entering the courtyard, they saw Xiao Ling already out of her bedroom—her spirits remarkably improved. Hard to believe she'd been near death just half an hour ago. Now she was helping Su Xiaoya inventory supplies.

Kiku Maysakura had wandered the village extensively during this time. The kitchen was stocked with ample grain—more than enough for two people to survive the entire winter, even longer, if nothing went wrong.

(End of chapter)