Xie Li Is Already Dead

[22] 22: Xie Li is already dead.

'Bang!'

The gunshot rang out right by her ear, making Xie Li shudder violently.

A Mutated Flying Fish, which had appeared behind the two of them without warning, collapsed to the floor. It twitched a few times before falling still.

Xie Li raised a hand to touch her ear; the searing, burning sensation of the bullet as it had whistled past still seemed to linger.

Fu Yunsheng cradled her gun and approached Jin Zhaoye, asking, 'Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?'

Her gaze remained fixed solely on Jin Zhaoye as she spoke, not sparing Xie Li a single glance.

Jin Zhaoye released the hand she had been clutching tightly and turned to look at her. 'You weren't frightened, were you?'

Xie Li met her gaze.

Was she frightened? Of course she was. That bullet had grazed her head, and her legs were still shaking.

But could she admit it? Certainly not.

She couldn't afford to lose face. Fu Yunsheng had tried to intimidate her the moment they met; whether intentional or not, it was a blatant power play.

If she admitted to being scared in front of Fu Yunsheng now, she would truly be a coward.

'I'm fine,' Xie Li managed to force a smile. 'I'm quite brave.'

Fu Yunsheng shifted her gaze and shot a glance at Xie Li.

Perhaps some people are just naturally incompatible. Even though it was their first meeting, both sides felt that the Alpha in front of them looked... absolutely detestable.

Fu Yunsheng withdrew her gaze and asked, 'What is the situation on the other end?'

Jin Zhaoye did not want Xie Li to receive too much of Fu Yunsheng's attention, so she followed her lead. 'The fire escape on this side is blocked by Zombies. We can't get through.'

Fu Yunsheng frowned and scanned both ends of the hallway. On one side, Mutated Flying Fish were continuously swarming in; on the other, the fire exit was jammed with Zombies. They were caught in a pincer attack, and neither way was viable.

She made a prompt decision. 'Enter the room first, then find another way out.'

'Yes!'

The special operations team responded in unison. The group retreated while fighting, using suppressive fire to hold back the pursuing fish as they moved toward the nearest empty room.

Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye entered the room first, followed by Fu Yunsheng, and finally the two special operations soldiers responsible for covering the rear, who backed in while continuing to fire.

The moment the two soldiers stepped inside, the others rushed forward, dragging cabinets, tables, and anything movable in the room to barricade the door.

It was clear this door wouldn't hold those things for long; they could bite through the fuselage of a helicopter, let alone this flimsy wooden door.

Dense crunching sounds soon came from outside, and within moments, the door panel was bitten through.

Fu Yunsheng ignored the sounds behind her. She walked quickly to the window and pulled open the curtains.

Outside was the gray, hazy night. The campus streetlights were still on, the dim, yellow light providing barely enough visibility.

She glanced at the building opposite. The straight-line distance was nearly a hundred meters; it was impossible to cross.

'Rappel down. Everyone, check your gear,' Fu Yunsheng ordered.

The well-trained special operations soldiers immediately sprang into action, lowering their heads to check their equipment and reporting in turn:

'Ropes are intact, length is sufficient.'

'Safety buckles are fine.'

'Load-bearing capacity is fine.'

Fu Yunsheng continued her orders: 'Two to a group, provide covering fire for each other. Once you reach the ground, find cover immediately.'

'Yes, Major General!'

The team quickly prepared the ropes and tossed them out the window.

Fu Yunsheng: 'Ning Meng, you and Dr. Jin go down first. Protect her well.'

Ning Meng ran over immediately, grabbed the rope, and reached out to Jin Zhaoye. 'Dr. Jin, let me help you fasten your safety buckle.'

Jin Zhaoye shook her head in refusal. 'Your coordination is better; don't waste manpower on me. I'll just take this survivor student down with me.'

Xie Li felt a pang of resentment at being referred to as a nameless survivor and silently curled her lip. Hah, the moment the fiancée arrives, she's in a rush to distance herself! Fine, she was a good actress, she would play along.

Ning Meng stood to the side, looking from Fu Yunsheng to Jin Zhaoye, and wisely kept her mouth shut.

Fu Yunsheng's gaze landed on Jin Zhaoye. Her eyes were heavy, carrying the oppressive weight of a superior, and everyone in the room could feel the displeasure radiating from her.

Jin Zhaoye lifted her chin, meeting her gaze without backing down.

Fu Yunsheng frowned again. 'A-Ye, before we came, Auntie Jin told me to protect you. You are an Omega; there is no need to be so headstrong about everything.'

'I have been surviving in this school for days before you arrived,' Jin Zhaoye said coolly.

Fu Yunsheng stared at her for two seconds, and when she spoke again, there was a hint of impatience in her tone. 'Suit yourself. If you are going down, do it quickly. Don't waste time.'

After saying this, she shouldered her gun, turned back to the door, and stood guard with the soldiers.

Jin Zhaoye took the safety buckle and beckoned to Xie Li. 'Come here.'

Xie Li walked to the window in silence. Jin Zhaoye fastened her own buckle and handed the other one to her.

'Fasten it to your waist. Tighten it.'

Xie Li took the buckle and fiddled with it. She didn't know how to work it; she had only seen this in movies. Now that it was in her hands, she didn't know where to start.

Jin Zhaoye took the buckle from her hands, lowered her eyes, and deftly threaded the buckle through the ring—pulling, locking, and tightening it with practiced ease.

After fastening it, she checked it carefully, tugging on it to ensure it wouldn't come loose.

'Done.' She looked up, met Xie Li's gaze, and whispered, 'I'll go first. You follow behind me. Don't go too fast.'

Xie Li nodded.

Jin Zhaoye climbed out the window, gripped the rope with both hands, and planted her feet on the edge of the windowsill, her body leaning back slightly. In that moment, she looked like a leopard ready to pounce, full of the beauty of strength.

'Watch my movements,' she said, then pushed off, her body swinging out into the air.

Jin Zhaoye's body was completely suspended, controlling her descent speed with just her hands. As she swung back and was about to hit the wall, she bent her knees slightly, tapping her toes against the wall to absorb the impact.

In the time it took Xie Li to blink, Jin Zhaoye had already descended several floors.

Too busy to admire the other woman's movie-smooth descent, she climbed onto the windowsill and swung down, mimicking Jin Zhaoye's movements.

Thanks to her physical enhancement, Xie Li's movements were a bit clumsy, but she didn't encounter any accidents and successfully reached the ground.

The two worked together to quickly clear out a few Zombies that had been drawn by the noise.

Xie Li gripped her Baseball Bat and tilted her head to look at the calm woman beside her.

Her profile looked soft under the streetlights, her eyelashes lowered, masking the emotions in her eyes.

Xie Li didn't know if she had been affected by Fu Yunsheng's words. She opened her mouth and voiced what was in her heart.

'Jin Zhaoye, I don't think she's right.'

Jin Zhaoye turned her head to look at her. 'What?'

'I mean... I think that what a person wants to do, whether they are strong or weak, has nothing to do with their gender,' Xie Li said, looking at her very earnestly. 'Whether you are an Alpha, an Omega, or a Beta, it doesn't change the kind of person you want to become.'

'I think you are very capable and outstanding, and many people admire you. Don't let her words affect you.'

Jin Zhaoye looked at her. The little Alpha's eyes were bright and sincere—it was the most genuine comfort a twenty-year-old girl could offer.

The corners of her lips curled up into a heartfelt smile. 'Do you really think I would be affected by words like that?'

Xie Li was dazed by her smile, but still remembered to shake her head.

She felt that Jin Zhaoye was a very strong person inside and probably wouldn't be affected, but she must be feeling bad, so she still wanted to comfort her.

Jin Zhaoye smiled and reached out to pinch Xie Li's cheek. 'Don't worry. I've heard such things too many times, I just treat it like she's passing gas.'

The two had barely spoken a few words when Fu Yunsheng arrived with her team.

Their speed in descending was significantly faster; they had practically run down the side of the wall.

The group gathered again, without even a moment to catch their breath. From the open window, swarms of Mutated Flying Fish had already chased them out.

They flapped their translucent, fleshy wings and dove down from high altitude.

'Go, find a place to hide.'

Fu Yunsheng led the way with her gun, the soldiers retreating while fighting. Tongues of fire crisscrossed in the air, and the flying fish fell from the sky like dumplings.

A small number of stragglers lunged at the group.

Xie Li shielded the unarmed Jin Zhaoye behind her, gripped her Baseball Bat with both hands, and swung it at the incoming fish.

'Bang!'

The fish was sent flying by a single blow. Another fish lunged forward, and Xie Li swung again, sending it flying just like playing baseball.

'Don't get bogged down in a fight!' Jin Zhaoye called out to Xie Li. 'Find cover first.'

Xie Li gripped her bat and hurried to keep up with the team.

As she ran, she felt the space above her head suddenly darken, as if a massive black cloud were pressing down upon them.

Suppressed gasps came from the building next door; the survivors hiding behind the windows were all stunned, some so weak in the knees they collapsed to the floor.

Everyone looked up at the approaching behemoth.

Xie Li stared fixedly at the super-sized Mutated Flying Fish rapidly approaching. It was over a dozen times larger than a normal flying fish, with a wingspan of nearly twenty meters, its entire body covered in pitch-black scales.

Its eyes were a ghostly green, like two lanterns, staring straight down at...

No, it was staring at her.

the feeling of being watched that had started on the Rooftop reached its peak at this moment.

Xie Li felt a clear thought rise in her heart: this fish was definitely coming for her. Because she had successfully escaped from the Rooftop, this was her new death node.

After the giant flying fish approached, it completely ignored the others and dove straight toward Xie Li's position.

Massive wind pressure hit them, and debris on the ground was blown into the air.

Xie Li didn't even think; she sprinted in the opposite direction alone.

'Xie Li!'

Jin Zhaoye exclaimed, watching helplessly as the giant flying fish changed direction in mid-air, its massive wings flapping as it gave chase to Xie Li.

'Form up, crossfire!' Fu Yunsheng calmly issued the order.

The gunfire became dense instantly, bullets pouring down like a rainstorm onto the giant flying fish.

Rifle bullets hit it, only splashing sparks; they couldn't penetrate the giant flying fish's scales.

Xie Li ran for her life. She didn't need to look back to feel the fishy stench approaching. The moment the black cloud covered her, she slammed on the brakes and rolled to the side.

'Crunch!'

The giant flying fish's massive maw bit into the spot where she had been standing, leaving a huge crater in the concrete and sending gravel flying.

It shook its head, swallowed the concrete in its mouth, turned its head, and stared at Xie Li as she scrambled up from the ground, lunging at her again.

'Run in an S-pattern,' Jin Zhaoye shouted from very close by. 'It's too big, it's not as agile as you.'

Xie Li immediately changed direction, zigzagging across the open ground, trying to use an S-shaped route to dodge the attacks from behind.

But this open space wasn't just filled with flying fish; there were also Zombies. The Zombies, attracted by the gunfire and the commotion, swarmed in from all directions, reaching out with pale hands to grab at Xie Li.

One pale face after another, in the night, looked like a moving forest of corpses.

'Am I really going to die today!?' Xie Li cursed under her breath, swung her Baseball Bat to smash a Zombie's head, but before she could retract the bat, another Zombie's gaping maw was already right in front of her.

She turned sideways and kicked out.

In that split second of delay, the fishy stench from behind arrived.

Xie Li looked back; that giant maw was rapidly closing in on her.

The massive oral cavity was filled with dense, sharp teeth, layer upon layer, like the blades of a meat grinder. Being bitten by these teeth would definitely turn her into dumpling filling.

At the critical moment, a figure lunged from the side.

Jin Zhaoye grabbed Xie Li with one arm and held a round Grenade in the other. While still in mid-air, she threw the Grenade.

'Boom!'

The Grenade exploded inside the giant fish's mouth. A dull explosion rang out, and blood gushed out, staining the ground red.

Jin Zhaoye hugged Xie Li and rolled several meters away, barely avoiding the giant fish's crazily thrashing head.

Xie Li gasped for air and looked up; the giant fish wasn't dead yet.

Its lower jaw had been blown into a bloody mess, the pain driving it to thrash its head wildly, its massive wings flapping and smashing one deep crater after another into the ground.

Behind them, Fu Yunsheng arrived with the soldiers.

'Fire!'

At Fu Yunsheng's command, the soldiers raised their guns in unison, bullets pouring into the giant fish's open wound, sending flesh and blood splattering everywhere.

The giant fish let out a shrill hiss, its massive body twisting violently on the ground. After struggling for a moment, it gradually stopped moving.

The field was filled with smoke and gunpowder. The special operations soldiers did not relax their vigilance; they held their guns, forming a perimeter, and approached the giant fish step by step, their muzzles always pointed at it.

When they were about two meters away from the giant fish, the creature, which had been lying still, suddenly raised its head.

Those previously ghostly green eyes had turned blood-red, like two burning infernos, staring fixedly at Fu Yunsheng and the others.

Fu Yunsheng felt a chill, and alarm bells rang in her mind.

'Scatter—!'

Before the words had even left her lips, the frenzied giant fish launched a counterattack.

Its massive wings flapped violently, sweeping across with immense force.

'Watch out!'

The special operations soldiers exclaimed as they retreated.

'Bang!'

The giant fish's wing swept past, and two special operations soldiers were slapped into the air, screaming as they fell into a pile of Zombies in the distance, where they were instantly submerged by the dense swarm.

Just as the others were about to attempt a rescue—

'Boom! Boom!' Two dull thuds of Grenade explosions rang out, and a large group of Zombies was blown away, limbs and body parts splattering everywhere.

The special operations soldiers who saw this had eyes turned red. 'We'll fight you monsters to the death.'

'Kill, kill, kill!!!'

The special operations soldiers roared, frantically pulling their triggers.

'Retreat first, pull back, keep your distance.'

Fu Yunsheng fired her gun while calmly issuing commands.

The sound of gunfire was constant; bullets hit not only the giant fish but also the continuously swarming Zombies.

In the distance, Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye, who had been knocked dizzy, had just scrambled to their feet and witnessed the three-way battle between the Zombies, the giant fish, and the special operations soldiers.

Xie Li grabbed her dropped Baseball Bat and looked at Jin Zhaoye.

Jin Zhaoye's face was covered in blood and dust. The two met each other's eyes, stood up in tacit understanding, and charged into the fray to help.

The giant fish had gone completely mad. It flapped its wings frantically, each movement carrying the power of a tidal wave.

Gravel flew across the ground, dust rose, and the swarming Zombies were slapped away like pieces of paper, some hitting the wall and being smashed into pulp.

Blood splattered across the entire open space.

The group retreated while fighting, unable to shake off the giant fish.

Its blood-red eyes were fixed on the figures of this group, its massive body dragging across the ground, following closely behind them.

Xie Li glanced at the giant fish in hot pursuit and shouted, 'Give me a gun, it's coming for me.'

Jin Zhaoye refused without a second thought. 'No, you've never fired a gun.'

'If it keeps chasing like this, no one will get away. I'm running fast right now, and it's injured, so it can't catch me—'

Xie Li's words were cut off by Fu Yunsheng. 'We don't need you to sacrifice yourself. The mission of us soldiers is to protect civilians.'

...It's not for you arrogant Alpha to sacrifice, I just don't want to sacrifice the lives of those soldiers, nor do I want the survivors hiding in the building to suffer an unprovoked disaster, Xie Li thought to herself.

'I'm leaving. Dr. Jin, find a place to hide,' Xie Li shouted to Jin Zhaoye, then turned and ran.

Because of Xie Li's departure, the giant fish's pursuit indeed hesitated. Its blood-red eyes watched Xie Li running away, then turned back to look at Jin Zhaoye, who had seriously injured it in the crowd.

It seemed to be hesitating.

Its massive head turned left and right. It quickly made a decision, twisted its body, and chased after the fleeing Xie Li.

Seeing this, everyone was left speechless.

Jin Zhaoye even wanted to ask Xie Li if she had been very fond of eating fish, otherwise why would she be so hated by a mutated fish.

'Follow it, we must kill this giant fish. There are still many survivors nearby; we can't let it stay on campus,' Fu Yunsheng ordered.

'Major General, I'm out of ammo,' a soldier reported.

'I'm out too.'

'Me too, Major General.'

Of the five remaining special operations soldiers, three were out of ammunition.

Fu Yunsheng checked her own ammunition reserves; she only had one magazine left.

Although they were out of ammunition, no one on the scene retreated, including Jin Zhaoye, who had picked up a piece of rebar from somewhere and held it in her palm, following not far behind Xie Li.

'Follow it,' Fu Yunsheng gritted her teeth and ordered. 'Distraction fire, cover her.'

The group followed behind the giant fish, sporadic gunfire ringing out. Although rifle bullets couldn't hurt it, they were enough to distract and irritate it, thereby affecting its speed.

The giant fish's speed gradually slowed down, and Xie Li, who had been leading it on a wild run across campus, was finally able to catch her breath.

Her lungs felt like they were about to explode. She had forcibly lured this ghost of a thing all the way from the crowded Administration Building to the open playground.

Once they reached the open area, Xie Li's speed was no match for the giant fish.

The giant fish flapped its wings, dragging its heavily injured body into the air, leaping over Xie Li's head and landing not far in front of her.

The ground shook. Xie Li slammed on the brakes, her soles nearly sparking against the ground, barely avoiding head-butting that hideous, gaping maw.

Even after stopping, she was infinitely close to that terrifying mouth.

'You have bad breath!!!' Xie Li gagged and turned to run.

The giant fish swung its head in sync, slamming into Xie Li.

In that instant, Xie Li felt as if she had been hit head-on by a speeding dump truck. The world spun, and her body floated lightly into the air like a ragdoll thrown into the sky.

Xie Li flew a long way and landed heavily on the ground, the massive impact causing her to roll and slide several more meters.

A distinct trail of blood was left on the concrete, snaking all the way to where she lay.

Jin Zhaoye's ears rang for a moment. She couldn't hear anything, her eyes fixed on Xie Li lying in a pool of blood, the little Alpha's gentle voice still echoing in her ears.

Like a madwoman, she snatched a Grenade from Ning Meng's waist and charged at the giant fish.

Fu Yunsheng followed closely with the remaining special operations soldiers, throwing Grenades one after another. They exploded at the giant fish's side, the sound of explosions on the playground never-ending.

The gunfire became dense again, everyone desperately trying to stop the giant fish from approaching Xie Li.

But the giant fish seemed to have locked onto Xie Li; no matter how the others tried to stop it, it continued to move toward the figure lying in the pool of blood.

Xie Li lay on the ground motionless, the pool of blood beneath her continuously spreading, soaking into a large patch of dark red.

Her heartbeat grew slower and slower, her breathing weaker and weaker, until she stopped breathing entirely.

The moment Xie Li's heart stopped, the giant fish finally shifted its target.

Its blood-red eyes moved away from Xie Li and scanned the group of little bugs that had been harassing it. It opened its maw and lunged at the crowd.

That hideous, giant mouth was full of remaining fangs, the bloody lower jaw still dripping with black blood.

'Cover the Major General's retreat!'

A special operations soldier dropped her empty rifle, drew the Tactical Dagger from her waist, and charged at the giant fish.

Her figure appeared extremely tiny compared to the giant fish's massive size.

Just as the dagger pierced the giant fish's wound, in the next second, the fish shook its head, and she drifted away like a falling leaf, smashing into the ground dozens of meters away, never to get up again.

Blood spread from where she lay, a bright, shocking red.

Seeing her teammate die tragically, another special operations soldier's eyes turned red, and she also charged forward with a dagger, meeting the same fate.

She was swept by the giant fish's fangs, her chest instantly collapsing. By the time she flew away, she was almost broken in two.

These young lives, like moths to a flame, vanished one after another in front of the giant fish.

Only then did everyone realize how terrifying the giant fish's combat power was.

It had been fixated on Xie Li alone like a madman before, never seriously fighting back.

Now that it had gone crazy, the few people present had no way to deal with it.

'Major General, Dr. Jin, you go first!' Ning Meng roared, tears streaming down her face, charging at the giant fish without fear of death.

Fu Yunsheng was faster. Before Ning Meng could reach the giant fish, she knocked her aside, but she herself was pierced through the abdomen by the giant fish's fangs.

Blood gushed out, splashing onto Ning Meng's face.

'Major General!'

Ning Meng roared as she rushed forward, pulling Fu Yunsheng from the giant fish's fangs.

'Retreat...' Fu Yunsheng had only managed to say one word before coughing up a large mouthful of blood.

She ordered in a faint voice: 'Retreat, don't throw your lives away...'

Ning Meng hoisted Fu Yunsheng onto her back and exchanged a look with the last remaining special operations soldier.

Her eyes were full of resolution as she gripped the last two Grenades and stood in front of the others.

'Ning Meng, the Major General is in your hands. Dr. Jin, you all retreat, I'll cover the rear.'

The special operations soldier gripped the Grenades, standing her ground without retreating, letting the giant fish's gaping maw bite down on her.

The moment she was swallowed, she pulled the pin on the Grenades.

'Boom! Boom!'

Two dull thuds came from inside the giant fish's mouth.

The moment the explosion rang out, the special operations soldier's final shout seemed to echo in the air: 'Run, Ning Meng! Take the Major General and Dr. Jin and run!'

'Dr. Jin, let's go.' Ning Meng, carrying Fu Yunsheng, yelled at Jin Zhaoye and took off running.

Jin Zhaoye didn't move. She looked at the giant fish that was still twitching after eating several Grenades, watching its eyes gradually lose their luster.

The opportunity was rare; she couldn't waste it.

She gripped the rebar, ran toward the giant fish, stepped on the fish's back as it thrashed, reached the head, and used all her strength to drive the rebar in.

The rebar pierced about a few centimeters deep through the gap in the scales, and the giant fish began to struggle again.

Jin Zhaoye gripped the rebar to steady herself, using her hands and feet to push the rebar in inch by inch until the entire length of it disappeared.

The giant fish's massive body finally stopped struggling.

Ning Meng ran a distance with Fu Yunsheng on her back, noticed Jin Zhaoye hadn't followed, and turned back to shout at her: 'Dr. Jin, hurry, the Zombies are closing in.'

Jin Zhaoye leaped from the fish's head, rolled upon landing to absorb the impact, scrambled up, and ran toward Xie Li in the pool of blood. She hoisted her onto her back and followed Ning Meng's footsteps, escaping just before the Zombies could surround them.

......

In the school Infirmary, Ning Meng held the suture thread, her hands covered in blood, stitching up the wound on Fu Yunsheng's abdomen.

Jin Zhaoye helped from the side, holding down Fu Yunsheng's convulsing body.

Without professional medical personnel or anesthetic, they could only treat the situation as a last resort, first helping Fu Yunsheng stop the bleeding.

After finally stitching up the wound, Ning Meng collapsed into a chair, her hands trembling slightly.

Jin Zhaoye stood up and went to the sink to wash the blood off her hands. The cold water flowed over her fingertips, taking away her body heat and leaving behind a chill.

After washing her hands, she turned and walked to another hospital bed.

She lowered her eyes, looking at Xie Li on the bed.

That face was as pale as paper, without a trace of color, her eyelashes lowered quietly, as if she were asleep.

But her chest was sunken, there was no breath from her nose, and even her body temperature was slipping away bit by bit.

Everything indicated that Xie Li was already dead.

Jin Zhaoye just watched her quietly, the feelings in her heart complex—there was regret, perhaps some sadness, and a sense of emptiness.

Although people were dying every moment now, this person had once been intimate with her; in the depths of her heart, she was different after all.

She took that cold hand and whispered, 'You fool, why didn't you hide? Why did you have to charge so far ahead all by yourself?'