Chapter 002: Lemon Boneless Chicken Feet

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People need to be jolted awake by something unexpected.

At least Su Su was drenched in cold sweat now, frantically searching for the difference between her past life and this one—

Wu Zhi had absolutely never caught a snake in her previous life.

So why had he caught one this time?

What had gone wrong? Was it because he had gone into the woods? Then why had he never gone in during her previous life…?

That was it!

In her previous life, Wu Zhi had tried to seize the food from her at the service area. She had refused to hand it over, and her fingernails had raked a long mark across his face.

After injuring Wu Zhi, she had been terribly uneasy. She kept watching him afterward and saw him sitting grimly before the fire, never going anywhere.

Then, when several of the group’s gifted individuals went ahead to scout the road, he had strode over and dragged her into the woods…

At the memory, Su Su felt as though she had fallen into an icy cellar.

In other words, the butterfly effect caused by her rebirth had meant that the snake which should have bitten Wu Zhi to death was now caught in his hands, about to become a pot of snake meat?

No! Not necessarily! Perhaps it had never been this snake that killed him!

Yet no matter how much she tried to reassure herself, Su Su could not calm down.

Wu Zhi’s death had been an accident to begin with. Change even the smallest detail, and he might not die at all! He might even take advantage of her—

“Let’s gut it first. I’ve never killed a snake. Who’s going to do it?”

“I will!”

The black snake hung limp in a coil, as though grievously injured. When it was lifted, it offered only the faintest resistance.

Su Su stared fixedly at it.

How desperately she wished it would not die. That intense desire stirred her starving mind into a haze, and a surging emotion burst forth, transforming into a streak of white light that no one else noticed. It swept through the crowd and landed precisely on the snake.

“Cut off its head first, shall we?”

“Where’s my dagger?”

The gifted individual holding the snake was searching everywhere for the dagger, completely unaware that the black snake in his hand had suddenly opened its eyes. Its limp body began to writhe slowly, and when the grip on it loosened, it slipped to the ground with a swift hiss before darting into the grass beside the road.

“It got away! Catch it!”

Even the gifted individuals capable of long-range attacks could not react quickly enough. Almost as soon as the words were spoken, the grass rustled a few times, then fell utterly still.

The black snake had vanished without a trace.

Wu Zhi cursed angrily. “Damn it! Do you even know how to kill a snake?!”

The man who had been scolded gave an embarrassed laugh. “I just didn’t react in time. With a wound that big at its neck, who would’ve thought it still had the strength to escape?”

Wu Zhi could only suppress his anger and begin considering his original objective.

…

Su Su had witnessed everything with her own eyes.

She stared blankly at her palm. Only she had seen that streak of white light; no one else had reacted at all.

The light had entered the black snake’s body, and then it had opened its eyes, changing from barely alive to vigorous and full of vitality.

An astonishing thought rose in her mind.

Su Su looked around. More or less, all her companions had suffered minor injuries during their flight. The woman sitting beside her had a tiny cut on her arm.

Su Su struggled to restrain her faintly trembling hands. She fixed her gaze on that little scratch, trying to recreate what had happened just now.

One second, two, three… More than ten seconds passed. Su Su’s eyes grew painfully dry, yet the small wound remained unchanged. The white light of that fleeting moment did not appear again.

Had she seen it wrong? Imagined it?

Su Su stared blankly at her palm, then suddenly laughed at herself.

She was still indulging in daydreams…

In her previous life, it had taken her four years to awaken the most useless kind of ability: enhanced speed. With the general evolution of the zombies, even that little bit of speed could not outrun a second-tier zombie.

Her immense delight had turned into immense disappointment. Before Su Su could recover, the companion beside her suddenly nudged her.

“Wu Zhi… He seems to be coming this way.”

Su Su jerked her head up. The tall, broad-shouldered Wu Zhi pushed through the crowd, walking straight toward her. His slanted eyes were fixed possessively on the timid girl hiding among the others.

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Su Su instinctively tried to run, but her arm was quickly seized.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Your cousin already agreed just now. From now on, you’re coming with me.”

What?!

Su Su found it absurd. Her catlike eyes were filled with disbelief.

“Let go of me! I have nothing to do with you!”

Her struggling was so violent that everyone turned to look.

Wu Zhi felt somewhat guilty, but anger outweighed it. Seeing that he was losing face, he coaxed and threatened her at once.

“If you behave, I’ll give you half of whatever food I find from now on.”

“Get lost!”

“Damn it! Don’t be so ungrateful!”

“Could you survive in the apocalypse without me? Haven’t you suffered enough these past few days?”

He knew perfectly well that Su Su had been starving for several days. She had pitifully little food in her hands, and even if she managed to find supplies next time… he would simply take them from her again.

His powerful hand was like a chain, locking her firmly in its grasp.

Su Su was not a strong person. Trembling all over with fear, she tugged desperately at her arm.

“Let go of me! Let go! Even if I die, it has nothing to do with you!”

The commotion grew louder. Wu Zhi felt increasingly uneasy and instinctively looked into the distance, toward the place where Lin Weiran was sitting.

She seemed puzzled and had risen with concern, apparently about to come over.

If Lin Weiran came and discovered that her cousin was unwilling…

Wu Zhi hardened his heart. He seized Su Su by the arm and easily dragged her in front of him, half forcing and half hauling her toward the woods nearby.

“I have something to say to you in private!”

Anyone close enough could see Wu Zhi’s domineering threats, but no one dared speak up for Su Su. They could only watch helplessly as he dragged her into the trees.

By the fire, one of the spectators laughed loudly.

“Wu Zhi dragged that pretty little thing into the woods. Could he be planning to whisper something intimate to her?”

“Maybe she agreed and couldn’t wait to kiss him!”

At that, Lin Weiran rose, then sat back down. In the end, she said nothing.

Si Zhe glanced indifferently at the commotion behind them and took out a map.

“Weiran, take a look at tomorrow’s route.”

Lin Weiran’s attention was immediately drawn away.

…

In the pitch-black woods, Su Su was pinned against a tree, Wu Zhi’s hand clamped over her mouth. She kicked and struggled with all four limbs, but could not throw him off.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

Get away! Don’t touch me!

Not a single word escaped her. Desperate tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the villain’s hand, but they stirred neither pity nor mercy in him.

He had originally intended to reason with her, but his irritation at being rejected, combined with how matters had developed, made Wu Zhi feel that this was an excellent opportunity.

“I know you don’t want to come with me, but this is the apocalypse. What choice do we have?”

The villain was undoing his belt with one hand while the other remained clamped tightly over Su Su’s mouth.

“It’s all right. In a moment, you’ll be willing to follow me.”

Once he had forced the matter, he wanted to see what else she could complain about!

The scene was the same as in her previous life, yet different.

Su Su knew very well that she might never again receive help from the venomous snake that had saved her. In her despair, she sank her teeth viciously into the web of Wu Zhi’s hand as he tugged at his belt.

“Ah!”

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Wu Zhi flung his hand away in pain, and the girl he had restrained slipped free like a loach.

The pain loosened his grip for only a few seconds. Once he recovered, he gave chase in great strides. His large hands were just about to seize Su Su roughly by the hair when, at that critical moment, no one heard the faint rustling from the grass beside their feet.

It sounded as though something was crawling within it.

“Aaaah!”

A scream far more terrifying than the previous one rang through the heavens, startling a flock of resting birds into flight.

“A snake! There’s a snake!”

Wu Zhi first felt something cold and slick slide across his foot. The next instant, a sharp pain shot through his ankle. He forgot all about Su Su and hurriedly rolled up his trouser leg, finding the marks of fangs at his ankle.

Damn it. Could it be poisonous?

He abruptly raised his head and pointed at Su Su, who had retreated to one side. The words were forced through his clenched teeth.

“Come here! Suck the venom out for me!”

By the light of the moon, Su Su stared at him in terror. In barely more than ten seconds, Wu Zhi’s forehead had broken out in large beads of sweat, and even his voice had grown noticeably weaker.

It was unfolding exactly as it had in her previous life!

If the snake that had bitten him was the same one, then in another ten seconds, Wu Zhi’s lips would turn purple and he would collapse to the ground, convulsing helplessly…

She had remained motionless for too long. Wu Zhi was so furious that his head began to swim. He tried to lift his foot and drag her closer, but vaguely sensed that even his steps had begun to stagger.

Could the snake that bit him have been highly venomous?

Back in the countryside, Wu Zhi had seen people die the very night they were bitten by poisonous snakes.

With a dull thud, Su Su watched Wu Zhi collapse to the ground. His tiny eyes were now stretched wide, glaring fixedly at her.

“Help me suck it out! Help me suck it out!”

The timid, beautiful girl took one step after another backward, moving farther and farther from the man in desperate need of help.

“I’m not going to help you.”

“Even if you die, you deserve it.”

Those words, falling upon Wu Zhi’s ears, sounded like a demon come to claim his life.

His body grew colder and colder, his lips began to tremble, and his dizzy mind still remembered that he had been poisoned and might well die here.

“Please… Please save me… Suck the venom out…”

Even a beast on the verge of death could use the word please.

Having lived through it all once more, Su Su felt an overwhelming exhilaration. Much of the oppression and despair she had accumulated since her rebirth dissolved at last.

Standing dozens of meters away, she quietly watched Wu Zhi, watched that detestable face, and said softly, “I won’t suck it out for you, and I won’t call anyone to help you. Only when you’re dead can I live in peace.”

“You… Urgh!”

A great mouthful of poisoned blood spilled from Wu Zhi’s lips. He tried to say something more, but only a hoarse, rattling sound came from his throat. Terrified, he clawed at his neck while his other hand instinctively slapped against the ground.

He wanted to call for help, but no one came.

Wu Zhi died with his eyes wide open, in exactly the same manner as in his previous life.

Only then did Su Su realize that she had been holding her breath for a long time.

Yet her heart felt no lighter.

“…Now that you’re dead, what about me?”

Where was her own path to survival?

Sooner or later, the gifted individuals in the group would discover Wu Zhi’s corpse. She still could not escape their scolding and contempt. They had traveled only one-fifth of the way south; her suffering had only just begun.

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