Salted Fish Zombie

Chapter 36.1: Manman (9)

May 15, 2023 by Wyrd

Shi Tianzhu looked at Ning Su, with a glimmer of silver light shimmering in her eyes.

She couldn’t remember when it started, but Shi Tianzhu developed a habit of asking people questions, just like a teacher.

Some people said that she was constantly searching for talents for Yinhua.

When Shi Tianzhu analyzed herself, she didn’t think it was just that.

She was one of the first to enter this game world. In the years that followed, the people who entered with her died one by one.

She was originally the youngest among that group of people. Back when the game had just started and goodness still existed in the world, the older brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts protected her.

Later, they all died, leaving her alone to grow up in this terrifying game, watching batch after batch of people enter this game.

As the number of people increased, she felt increasingly lonely.

How many years had passed? Maybe fifteen or sixteen years.

She had gone through round after round of horror games. Just at the age of twenty-six, she already felt a sense of desolation and solitude.

Perhaps it was because, among all these people, there was no one who could keep up with her. They habitually stood behind her, far behind, listening to her orders.

She longed for someone who could see things from the same perspective as her, someone who could understand what she was thinking.

Later, there was someone who could, but he was a terrible person.

Therefore, she desired even more for someone who could understand her thoughts. She didn’t believe that there was only that one terrible person in the entire base who could have a tacit understanding with her.

And now she had finally found one.

He possessed the magical essence of fate, which brought her an intimate sense of joy at first sight.

On her twenty-sixth birthday, fate flashed a silver light before her eyes, and she saw him.

Shi Tianzhu looked at the young boy sitting up straight, speaking earnestly. From the depths of her heart, a soft delight surged, and she said, “Go on.”

Ning Su: “...I should say more?”

He pondered with a slackened face, “Ghost friends are the most important NPCs. Besides mentioning that they can give us luck points, the system also said they have another name, called companion ghosts.”

“Unless they exist before we are born or during our birth, only then can they fit the meaning of ‘companion’. That’s we haven’t been born yet.”

“Luck points, like charm points, are fixed values that cannot increase. They should remain unchanged since birth, and if we want to change them, we can only do so before being born.”

Shi Tianzhu looked at him, gesturing for him to continue.

“...” Ning Su said, “President, isn’t this a survival dungeon instance?”

Why did they have to play it like a decryption instance?

Shi Tianzhu rewardingly placed a small prop in his hand, a beautifully round and shiny crystal ball.

【Crystal Ball: Storage prop. It can store anything you like without consuming any points or energy.】

The weariness in Ning Su’s eyes immediately dissipated as the sparkling light scattered it.

He tightly gripped the crystal ball. “Can I keep it? You already gave me the Heaven-Piercing Silk.”

Shi Tianzhu chuckled as she looked at him.

Ning Su promptly put the crystal ball into the pocket of his overalls. “Ah, alright!”

He enthusiastically said, “And there are monster children. If they are Water Infant Spirits, and the castle is the mother’s body, since we haven’t been born within the mother’s body, their attacks on us would be effective.”

If what Zhu Shuangshuang said was true, most of them died due to multiple abortions. So, “Wouldn’t their greatest hatred be towards their mother? That’s why they attack the mother’s body when they go crazy.”

He said these words lightly.

Then he continued, “When they attack a ghost friend, they’re attacking us. It might also stem from a sense of jealousy because they died from abortion while we peacefully live within the mother’s body. We have the mother’s body to protect us, but they have never had someone to protect them like we do.”

Last night, he stood on the terrace, looking at those strange monster children and pondering a lot. His mood was unusually complicated.

He said, “The mother’s body is very weak now. If the mother’s body dies, we will naturally be miscarried and become water spirit infants, right?”

It’s the first time this instance had been opened. If it’s opened a few more times, the monster children who attacked new players might include players from previous batches.

Just like in the world of Snowball, the ruling class “brides” and the lower-class ghosts “grooms,” as well as the grotesque beings, would all have players joining them.

Shi Tianzhu nodded. “Even if the mother’s body held on, our remaining survival period is 30 days, with 26 days left, but there are only 15 players remaining. The monster children destroy one ghost friend every night. Under the attacks of the monster children, we can only survive for a maximum of 13 more days, far from the required survival period by the system. This is another important issue you need to consider next.”

Ning Su blinked.

15 people, they could hold on for 13 more days.

This statement was somewhat cruel, but inexplicably poked Ning Su.

Was he successful in clinging to someone influential?

Although it seemed like he hadn’t done anything and even received two weapon items out of nowhere.

Looking at his bright eyes, Shi Tianzhu asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Ning Su: “Did I successfully hug the thigh of someone strong?”

Shi Tianzhu: “...”

‘Did you show signs of wanting to cling to me?’

She thought that in this insignificant horror game, those who wanted to cling to her were people like Yan Nuo, kneeling on the ground and begging her, or at least clearly expressing it.

Obviously, the little boy was very happy. “This is the first time I’ve successfully hugged the thigh of someone strong.”

Shi Tianzhu didn’t say anything.

The two of them, one drinking milk and the other coffee, watched the busy or playful players in the garden.

Shi Tianzhu asked, “You know everything, so why don’t you speak?”

Ning Su replied, “No one has directly asked me.”

Shi Tianzhu remained silent.

Ning Su also asked her, “You know everything too, why haven’t you said anything?”

Shi Tianzhu responded, “Do I have to say it for them? I’ve already asked them in a suggestive manner.”

Ning Su remained silent.

The two continued to sit, one drinking milk and the other coffee.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window, casting a warm glow on their similar faces—one content, the other pleased.

Although the silence was still present, it seemed less quiet, mainly because they were no longer constrained.

They silently agreed not to continue the previous discussion.

It was because two ghost friends were sitting on the blanket at their feet.

They quietly drank two bottles of milk, sat together for a while, and Ning Su bid farewell.

Before leaving, he spoke to Shi Tianzhu, “Last night, I watched the monster children go away and had some thoughts.”

Shi Tianzhu looked up at him, eager to hear his strange or normal thoughts.

She expected the little boy to express some odd ideas, but his thoughts were not strange at all; they were just unexpected.

After returning to his room last night, Ning Su reached out and felt a faint pulse beneath the carpet.

He remembered that when he first entered the room, he could sense the slight tremor on the thick carpet caused by the attacks of the monster children. Now, he had to reach beneath the carpet to feel it.

It was a gradual weakening. The precarious ‘mother’ was struggling to protect the children within her.

He went to the terrace and saw those deformed monster children who had died or were forced to die while still inside the mother’s womb.

He suddenly felt, “No matter what, I think my mother was truly great to have carried me for nine months and give birth to me. She may have gone through extremely difficult circumstances and granted me a peaceful life.”

Although this life of peace and prosperity lasted only eighteen years.

After Ning Su and the Gui Sheng, as well as the Blood Doll, left the room, Shi Tianzhu remained stunned. She couldn’t understand why.

She picked up the skull bouquet from the basket and delicately caressed the skull with her slender fingers.

When the two little boys dragged the basket to the sixth floor, she saw it.

For the six-year-old and three to four-year-old boys, the basket was very large and heavy. They struggled a bit but carefully moved the basket.

The basket was carefully decorated, with a layer of beautiful lily flowers on the outer rim, and a skull bouquet inside the basket.

This must be something they found beautiful, a kind and innocent gesture.

They quietly pushed the basket to the door and were about to leave, pretending to be Christmas boys.

They just wanted to give her a layer of protection, even though they might know she had many life-saving items.

Shi Tianzhu caressed the white bones and said, “What’s going on? I’m starting to envy his mother.”

Ning Su, the Gui Sheng, and the Blood Doll happily walked back.

The players on the sixth floor were sealing the stairwell with an iron door and he noticed that they no longer had their previous arrogant demeanor.

While these players all knew that Shi Tianzhu had an extraordinary attachment to this little boy.

Now everyone knew that the most effective lily vine for resisting monster children could only be cut by him alone.

They watched as the little boy took out a crystal ball from his pocket.

Currently, it was the most powerful item storage in the entire base.

“...”

They wondered how they could win Shi Tianzhu’s favor. They really wanted to survive and didn’t want to struggle in this instance anymore.

They saw the little boy take out a thin lily vine from his pocket and tie the crystal ball to his neck.

“...”

Therefore, to win the favor of the big shot, one must possessed the magical power to chop off lily vines, was that right?

Understood.

Ning Su: [9277, you see, not only do I have weapons but also props.]

9277: [...]

Ning Su encountered players blocking the hallway on the fifth floor again, and their gaze towards him was a bit strange.

Ning Su realized that the hallway on the fifth floor was sealed every night.

He looked at Gui Sheng and asked, “How did you get up to see President Shi that night?”

Gui Sheng pointed to the door being installed by the players on the fifth floor, “Just pass through!”

Ning Su: “...”

So, the protective door they worked so hard to set up was easily penetrated. No wonder they looked at Gui Sheng with that kind of gaze.

Without Ning Su saying anything, Gui Sheng looked up and apologized to the players on the fifth floor, “Sorry.”

“I went to file a complaint against you and ended up breaking your door.”

“...”

Ning Su fell silent for a moment, then touched Gui Sheng’s soft hair, “You’ve worked hard.”

Gui Sheng smiled and hugged his arm, “I’m hugging your thigh, it’s not hard at all!”

That made sense.

Ning Su continued walking downstairs with a good mood, and they returned to the garden.

He waved the crystal ball necklace in front of Zhu Shuangshuang, Ji Mingrui, and Meng Jiang.

Meng Jiang, realizing what it was: “...”

Maybe he should kneel in front of Little Gu Witch right now.

Zhu Shuangshuang asked, “Did President Shi give you weapons and props again?”

The little boy puffed out his chest and nodded.

Zhu Shuangshuang was surprised. Wasn’t this a bit too indulgent?

Was this weapon item free? But Chen Qing clearly told her that most players in the base didn’t have skill weapons and items.

Regardless, she was very happy for Ning Su.

Zhu Shuangshuang looked at him and thought, he would never be a boy who would run to save lives for a few candies anymore.

No one gave him candies before, but now someone was giving him rare weapons and items that were hard to find in the game base. He would definitely have more in the future.

Not more expensive things, but more people who would like him and would give him pure love.

Zhu Shuangshuang asked, “Did you just go to give lily vines to President Shi?”

Ning Su nodded.

Zhu Shuangshuang said, “President Shi gave you Heaven-Piercing Silk, and you thought of giving her a gift of lily vine. That’s good.”

Ning Su continued to nod, “I know.”

The four of them spent the morning playing with their ghost friends in the garden.

In the previous few days, they were busy with protection and didn’t have the chance to play with their ghost friends well. The four ghost friends were very happy and obviously more attached to them.

Ji Mingrui said, “Have you guys noticed that our ghost friends are more clingy than the ghost friends on other floors?”

Zhu Shuangshuang said, “Ghost friends are like children. Although they don’t understand many things, they naturally sense love and evil because we protected them desperately when they were most afraid.”

Meng Jiang agreed and poked the little mummy’s head, “They have also given us a lot of luck points. It’s their way of showing love.”

The most they received at once was 3 points, and it was the most difficult night they had gone through.

Among all the floors, players on their floor have obtained the most luck points.

Ning Su, Zhu Shuangshuang, and Meng Jiang had 6 points, while Ji Mingrui had 5 points.