Chapter 103: There’s Something Strange Inside This Starship

Dejected and empty-handed, Dong Tiechui and the others trudged back, weighed down by the immense pressure to survive, so much so that they failed to notice Peach was missing. Only when they remembered that Peach hadn’t kept up did they hurriedly retrace their steps, and far down a corridor away from the warehouse, they found Peach unconscious on the floor.

“Peach! Peach!” Dong Tiechui and Qingguo anxiously rushed over, scooping her into their arms. Seeing her unconscious and unresponsive, both were overwhelmed with guilt. What had happened to Peach that caused her to collapse here?

“Mmm,” Peach murmured faintly as she slowly regained consciousness. Upon seeing her father and brother, memories of earlier events suddenly returned to her, and she exclaimed joyfully, “Dad! Brother! Brother Xiaoniu isn’t dead! Brother Xiaoniu isn’t dead!”

Peach’s eyes sparkled brightly. Ever since she was young, she loved playing with Brother Xiaoniu, who was always kind and considerate toward her. When she last saw him led into the mountain hollow, knowing he would likely perish, Peach had secretly grieved for a long time. Now, learning he was still alive filled her with boundless happiness, and she kept repeating it eagerly.

“Xiaoniu’s not dead?” Hearing this, Dong Tiechui did not share her joy. Though he hadn’t witnessed Xiaoniu’s transformation into a zombie, he had heard about the situation from Du Yun.

All the zombies in the town had been lured into the mountain hollow. If Xiaoniu had gone in, how could he have possibly gotten out? Unless—like the zombie in the armory—he had devoured the others and become a higher-level undead.

“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s move!” Dong Tiechui felt a chill run down his spine. Hastily, he shouted for everyone to hurry back to the control room. At this moment, whether there was any supply left no longer mattered; if they encountered a potential high-level zombie like Xiaoniu, their chances of survival with their current fighting strength were uncertain.

“Dad, I’m telling the truth!” Peach tried to protest but Dong Tiechui quickly covered her mouth, lifting her up and rushing forward. She struggled to speak but only managed muffled sounds.

“Move quickly!” Dazhuang, who had witnessed the entire zombie siege and the horror of third-level zombies, immediately linked the strange words they’d heard to something seriously wrong. Knowing his own limited combat ability, he understood that playing the hero now would only increase casualties. Without hesitation, he called over two team members and hurriedly left.

Hidden in a corner, Xiaoniu watched their interactions with a blank expression. Then, he exhaled twice, as if confused by his own situation, glanced deeply in the direction they had gone, and with a powerful kick of his legs, vanished from sight.

Dong Tiechui and Dazhuang sprinted back to the main control room. Once the heavy door was shut behind them and everyone was accounted for, a deep sigh of relief escaped them.

“What happened? No food in the warehouse?” Du Yun turned around, seeing them sweating and looking as if they had just survived a disaster, unable to hold back her question.

“Yeah, not a scrap of supplies. And we found something strange aboard this starship,” Dazhuang responded, aware of the urgency. Seeing Lia approaching, he wanted to maintain his image as reliable in her eyes but spoke honestly.

“Strange how?” The leader furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing there were no supplies. Dazhuang was no fool; if he said something was off, there must be a reason, so the leader was willing to listen.

“When we left the warehouse, Peach was left behind. When we noticed and returned, she was unconscious not far from us. Upon waking, she said she had seen someone in the dense forest town who had already zombified still alive.” Dazhuang summarized the incident as briefly as possible. The entire control room fell silent.

A zombified person was no longer truly human. Though the team members didn’t fully grasp the gravity as deeply as the leader, on their way to meet him, they had also seen some. Their hideous forms and their habit of feeding on human flesh sent chills down their spines.

“If it’s a zombie, why just knock Peach out and not harm her?” Du Yun found Dazhuang’s story believable but puzzled why a zombie wouldn’t eat her. That was completely against their nature.

“Exactly! Why didn’t the zombie eat you? Look how skinny you are—probably didn’t want to get a tooth stuck!” Hongmei, who had always disliked Peach, seized the opportunity to mock her outright, ignoring Dong Tiechui’s feelings.

“Shut up!” Dong Tiechui’s eyes widened in anger as he pointed at Hongmei. No matter how close she was to him, she was just a woman, whereas Peach was his beloved daughter. He knew exactly where his loyalties lay.

“Peach, come on, let’s see if you’re hurt.” Du Yun, seeing Dong Tiechui roughly set Peach down and then ignore her, worried she might have been injured. She reached out, pulling her into her arms protectively.

“Some people are still dependent on others, so watch your words. Otherwise, if I’m in a bad mood, I might just test how this energy crystal crushes someone,” Du Yun said coldly as she brought Peach before Hongmei, her gaze making Hongmei shiver.

“I’ll come too,” Lia said, noticing Du Yun’s slight frame and worried that if Peach was unwell and Du Yun alone couldn’t handle it, she would join them.

Lia, a bit simple-minded, did not realize that what she felt first was a desire to protect Du Yun—whom she saw as a rival—rather than wishing her harm.

Du Yun led Peach to a small compartment adjacent to the control room. Lia followed behind. Du Yun crouched down and carefully removed Peach’s clothes, examining her thoroughly from head to toe, anxious that any unnoticed injury might lead to disaster.

“Phew, no injuries!” Du Yun finally relaxed after a meticulous check. With the looming threat of high-level zombies, even a minor wound could risk infection.

“Peach is fine, don’t worry.” Du Yun and Lia led Peach back to the main hall of the control room, addressing the inquiring gazes of the others.

“That’s a relief, that’s a relief!” Dong Tiechui smiled broadly; nothing made him happier than knowing his daughter was safe, a joy shared by his son Qingguo as well.

“But there really is something strange about this starship. I sensed the presence of a high-level zombie,” Du Yun’s next words nearly frightened the more timid members out of their wits.

To sense a high-level zombie’s aura meant one was likely very close. Instinctively, everyone thought of that officer zombie and shuddered in unison, silently praying it wasn’t him.