Chapter Forty: The Enchantress and the Celestial God

"Shut up! If you keep screaming, you’ll draw every zombie in the area right to us!"

Lin Qingqing cursed silently. It was already too late; the middle-aged woman’s shrieks had acted like a beacon for the nearby undead. With so many people huddled together, their scent alone was enough to attract attention, and this woman’s unprovoked wailing would surely draw in even those lurking further away.

"You’re lying!"

The woman started to retort, but before she could finish, a rustling sound echoed from the surroundings. Seeing this, she shrank back in terror, though she still lowered her voice to mutter spitefully, "It must be you! You’re the ones who brought these monsters here, you wicked hags!"

"Zombies are attracted to scent and sound. You’re the ones who brought them here," Lin Qingqing retorted with a cold sneer. She had never encountered such ignorant people in her life.

"Nonsense! How could my talking bring them here? It must be you—you used some kind of black magic!" The woman refused to believe her.

"I honestly don't know how these people have survived this long. Do they really not know the first thing about zombie behavior?" Lei Min whispered, her eyes filled with concern as she pointed at the crowd. "Sister Lin, what should we do?"

What indeed? Lin Qingqing was weighing her options. If she wanted to leave Lei Min behind at their camp, they would likely need to help these people clear out the zombies first. Yet, the thought of helping such fools made her stomach churn.

Sighing inwardly as she looked at Lei Min’s wide, earnest eyes, Lin Qingqing replied, "Let’s watch for now. If it comes down to it, we’ll lend them a hand."

"Oh... okay."

Lei Min could sense Lin Qingqing’s reluctance, and honestly, she felt the same. Who would willingly help people who had just been cursing them a moment ago? Still, they were fellow humans; Lei Min couldn't just stand by and watch them die.

Across the way, the crowd was finally beginning to panic as they saw the zombies closing in. Having witnessed the horrors of the undead before, they descended into chaos.

"What do we do?" one cried, paralyzed by fear.

"This is all Liu Huifen's fault! I was perfectly fine at home, but she insisted we come out," another complained.

"We’re going to die! I don’t want to die!" someone else wailed mindlessly.

"Where are Dazhuang and Chuanzi? Hurry up and kill these monsters!"

Someone with a bit more presence of mind pushed two young men—one tall, one short—to the front of the crowd. Both were clearly ability users; Dazhuang had brute strength, and Chuanzi possessed speed. One brandished an axe, the other a machete.

The two men exchanged bitter glances. They were indeed ability users and had killed zombies before, but they had always done so in tandem, picking off lone targets. They had never faced a horde like this. The sheer sight of the mass of rotting flesh made their legs turn to jelly. But there was no turning back now—they had boasted of their prowess, and the crowd had cast them as their saviors. Having accepted so many favors from these people, they couldn't possibly retreat now without being ostracized.

To avoid being metaphorically drowned by the spit and vitriol of the elderly folk behind them, Dazhuang and Chuanzi had no choice but to grit their teeth and charge.

"The Great Erlang Shen is here! Prepare to meet your end, demons!"

With no path left, the tall, brawny youth roared and lunged forward. The shorter youth spat on the ground, cursed under his breath, and followed suit.

"So that’s their version of the demon-slaying Erlang Shen," Lin Qingqing remarked, shaking her head.

In her view, there was no need to fight to the death; running away together was the best option. Level-one zombies were slow. If they just sprinted and found a place to hide, they would likely be safe. But these people were far too dependent on the two youths. Having never killed a zombie themselves, they knew nothing of their habits and could only run in circles.

In truth, the number of zombies wasn't overwhelming—for Lin Qingqing or Lei Min, it would have been a matter of a few rounds. But Dazhuang and Chuanzi lacked their confidence and experience. Forced into battle, they were on the back foot from the start.

As she watched the two youths struggle, Lei Min couldn't help but want to step in.

"What do you think you're doing?" The woman named Liu, seeing Lei Min approach with a weapon, immediately shrieked and grabbed her clothes to hold her back.

"Can't you see they're in danger?" Lei Min asked, baffled by the woman's actions.

"Nonsense! That’s Erlang Shen! You wicked hag, you’re only coming over because you have malicious intent!"

"Malicious intent?"

Lei Min was stunned. She hadn't expected her kindness to be met with such accusations. Feeling her goodwill wasted and seeing that the two ability users weren't asking for help, she closed her eyes and decided to stop interfering.

Lin Qingqing had anticipated this. She didn't look surprised, but seeing Lei Min’s indignant expression, she patted her shoulder comfortingly. "According to their twisted logic, even if you save their lives, they won't be grateful."

"I know..." Lei Min murmured. She understood now; the prejudice these people held against female ability users had reached the level of fanaticism.

Lin Qingqing had seen through them from the start. She had no interest in "saving" such warped individuals. Her only goal was to get Lei Min safely to their camp. As for what Lei Min chose to do later—whether to leave or to save these women labeled as "wicked hags"—that would be her own concern.

Lei Min didn't fully grasp Lin Qingqing’s detachment, only wondering why, if she didn't intend to help, they hadn't left yet.

On the other side, the two youths were clearly failing. Not only were they facing the relentless tide of zombies, but they also had to endure the constant whining and screaming of the crowd behind them. Some, out of sheer cowardice, even reached out to pull at their clothes, trying to use the fighters as human shields. This made their already dire situation even worse.

Slowly, the shorter Chuanzi made a mistake. He failed to dodge in time, and a zombie clawed his arm. The scent of fresh blood sent the zombies into a frenzy. Seeing his partner injured, Dazhuang’s resolve crumbled, and he began to back away instinctively.

When Chuanzi let out a blood-curdling scream, Dazhuang finally snapped and turned to run. But he hadn't taken two steps before the elderly folk behind him grabbed his arms and shoved him back toward the zombies.

For a man who had already lost his will to fight, this was a death sentence. He struggled desperately, but the dozen hands behind him refused to let go. In the end, unable to break free, Dazhuang followed Chuanzi into the abyss with a final, echoing scream.

As they watched their supposed savior—the "Erlang Shen"—swallowed by the horde, the crowd stood frozen in shell-shocked silence.