Chapter 8: The Secret Chamber of Hidden Beauty
Ahead lay an overpass, collapsed over a stretch of more than a meter. Tang Miao turned the steering wheel to the left, the vehicle tilting to block a group of zombies on one side. She rolled down the window and shouted to Song Mingchen.
“Song Mingchen, turn left into the ramp! The overpass ahead has collapsed!”
Song Mingchen reacted swiftly, sharply turning the wheel into the ramp. At the same time, all the zombies lunging toward the SUV were blown back by a blast of air.
In those few seconds of turning, Lin Chaofeng swung his steel pipe and caught Tang Miao’s gaze. “Chen, that’s Tang Miao!”
Zhang Xinrou pulled out a frying pan she had prepared from beneath her feet, ready to strike the zombies attacking the window.
Looking down, she found that although the zombies were baring their teeth and clawing wildly, none had actually touched the truck. It was as if an invisible wall kept them at bay.
Tang Miao’s forehead was slick with fine sweat, and her hands gripping the steering wheel trembled slightly.
Her mental energy was draining rapidly now. The truck she was driving, loaded with metal objects, weighed over twenty tons.
Tang Miao wasn’t confident she could safely guide both the truck and Song Mingchen’s vehicle across the broken bridge simultaneously.
Once she confirmed Song Mingchen’s group had safely cleared the area, Tang Miao twisted the wheel and drove straight toward the collapsed bridge.
Her mental power lifted the truck slightly off the ground, allowing it to pass safely.
The map in her mind reminded her that crossing this bridge was essential to reach the Forest Agricultural University. Her farm awaited her.
The vehicles gradually left the city behind, and the number of zombies chasing the truck diminished.
Zhang Xinrou gasped for breath, her back soaked with sweat—she had survived against all odds.
The child in her arms stirred, and Zhang Xinrou loosened the blanket.
The little one peeked out, its eyes and features looking clearer, the bluish-gray pallor of its face fading.
“Abba abba.” Mother.
It seemed the child’s evolution had been successful.
Tang Miao let out a long breath but dared not fully relax yet.
“Tang Miao, look! These zombies are actively making way for us.”
Not only that, after stepping aside, the zombies ignored the truck entirely, deliberately keeping their distance.
Tang Miao pulled over to the side of the road and finally allowed herself to relax—her gamble had paid off.
It was like the low-level insectoid swarms in the stars: once one evolved and grew stronger, the others instinctively regarded it as their leader.
They might not understand the leader’s commands, but fear was absolute.
A delayed wave of pain and exhaustion crashed over her, her mind buzzing.
Tang Miao’s body went limp, collapsing heavily onto the steering wheel, and she lost consciousness.
“Abba abba! Mother!”
“Tang Miao, Tang Miao, what’s wrong with you? Don’t die! If you die, how will I survive?”
When Tang Miao awoke again, it was deep into the night. She barely opened her eyes, stars twinkling in the dark sky.
---
Crackling sounds filled her ears, the firelight flickering over Tang Miao’s pale face.
[Auxiliary Tool 2, ‘Golden Chamber’s Beloved’ acquired. Please proceed with binding operation promptly.]
Huh? What was going on? How did a tool just fall from the sky while she was asleep?
Tang Miao slowly sat up, feeling dampness on her forehead and shoulders.
“Abba abba.” Mother.
The child hurried over with quick steps and leapt into Tang Miao’s arms.
“Oh, little one, where have you been?”
Tang Miao absentmindedly scanned the surroundings but found no sign of Zhang Xinrou.
Had she left them behind? If so, fine—her fate was no longer Tang Miao’s concern.
Just then, a beam of light shone towards her. Zhang Xinrou appeared, carrying a large bundle of dry branches, her eyes red-rimmed.
“You’re finally awake! I nearly thought you were dead!”
“Do you know how scared I was? One moment you were burning up, like you were going to explode, the next you were ice cold, your face frosted over.”
She had even seen smoke rising from Tang Miao’s body.
“I searched everywhere for something to cool you down or keep you warm. You parked out in the wild, so I didn’t dare stray far. I couldn’t even find a blanket!”
Truth was, she did find blankets but disliked touching the dirty ones.
The lighter Zhang Xinrou used to start fires had been taken from a zombie by the child.
Tang Miao knew well that her mental energy exhaustion wouldn’t usually cause such extreme reactions. Clearly, her mental power had bottomed out and was now rebounding to transform her body.
She smiled, coughing lightly twice. “Come here for a moment.”
“What for?”
Zhang Xinrou grumbled but obediently squatted before Tang Miao.
Grasping her hand, Tang Miao feigned confusion. “Why is the bump on your forehead gone?”
Zhang Xinrou cautiously touched the spot—indeed, it was gone! When had it disappeared?
Tang Miao didn’t explain; after all, it had vanished just moments ago.
Zhang Xinrou curled her lips. “Your little one found you another zombie, and it’s a handsome young guy—before he turned, that is.”
The child led Tang Miao to the zombie, who was tied to a tree trunk with a thick hemp rope, no different from the others.
Interestingly, although the boy was right in front of her, Tang Miao’s mental energy scan detected nothing.
Zhang Xinrou handed Tang Miao a class photo she had retrieved.
Not far from here in the outskirts was a middle school. The child had brought Zhang Xinrou there, where they found Jiang Nanxing trapped and locked in the chemistry lab.
Zhang Xinrou had smashed the lock to free the zombie. The ice cubes she used to cool Tang Miao had come from the lab’s ice machine.
---
The child jumped onto Tang Miao and pressed a finger on a boy in the photo.
“Abba abba.” Brother.
Jiang Nanxing, senior year, Top Class, eighteen years old.
The boy in the photo smiled brightly, full of youthful vigor.
Tang Miao nodded; he was a handsome young man, a refreshing sight compared to the aggressive-looking men she had seen in the stars.
In front of Zhang Xinrou, Tang Miao used her mental energy to plant a batch of tomatoes for the child and Jiang Nanxing to eat.
After the previous ordeal, Zhang Xinrou’s psychological resilience had greatly improved.
She tentatively asked, “Have you awakened the Wood Spirit Root?”
“This is mental energy.”
Zhang Xinrou nodded, half understanding—so it was the Wood Spirit Root. No wonder Tang Miao was so powerful.
Tang Miao circled Jiang Nanxing several times, wondering how to use a zombie as an auxiliary tool.
She tried poking him with her finger, but there was no prompt to bind the tool.
Only when Tang Miao flipped open Jiang Nanxing’s school uniform collar did she see a round piece of Hetian jade resting on his bluish-gray clavicle.
[Auxiliary Tool 2, ‘Golden Chamber’s Beloved,’ binding in progress. Estimated one minute.]
[Binding successful. ‘Golden Chamber’s Beloved,’ infinite space.]
A line of small text appeared at the bottom of the screen: Cannot store living beings.
Tang Miao rinsed the jade with water, wore it around her neck, and walked to the truck’s cargo hold. With a thought, all the collected items were stored inside the space.
Zhang Xinrou blinked in surprise. “You have storage space too?”
Before she could think further, the surrounding zombies began to close in on them.
“Tang Miao, look! Why are these zombies surrounding us?”
The zombies swayed awkwardly in place, staring at the child who was happily eating tomatoes.
Tang Miao planted a few more tomatoes and tossed them toward the zombies. As expected, they all focused on the tomatoes, with one even shoving others aside.
She led the group of zombies into the truck’s cargo hold and locked them inside.
Tang Miao had a bold idea: to tame the zombies and have them work on the farm.
They didn’t tire, needed no wages, didn’t compete for human food, and when hungry, she could just toss a few tomatoes their way. They were the perfect chosen laborers.
“Zhang Xinrou, I have a task for you.”
“What task?”
Tang Miao crushed a tomato, smeared the juice on Zhang Xinrou’s body, tied a hemp rope around her waist, and patted her shoulder.
“A small task: go catch a few zombies.”