Chapter Eleven: Only the Inept Drown in Self-Pity

When Qin Sheng arrived, Wang Qiang and Little Fatty were already using heavy wooden stakes to keep back the zombies that kept lunging and snapping forward.

Qin Sheng took one quick look. There were not many zombies attacking the camp, but it was hard to say whether this skirmish might draw in a larger horde.

"Three for you, three for me." Qin Sheng did not have time to dwell on what-ifs. She tipped her chin toward Shen Shi, drew her saber, and charged forward at once, severing the head of a zombie that was biting down on Wang Qiang's wooden staff in a single stroke.

Blood burst outward in an instant, splashing Wang Qiang all over.

Qin Sheng moved with great speed. Having dealt with one, she swiftly finished off the remaining two. She glanced toward Shen Shi and found that, just as she had expected, he had likewise taken care of the other three.

Fortunately, Qin Sheng and Shen Shi had arrived in time, and thanks to Wang Qiang and the others buying precious minutes, there were no casualties in the camp.

Qin Sheng pulled out a handkerchief and casually wiped the blood from her saber, then swiftly returned it to the scabbard on her back.

Looking at the severed heads on the ground and the blood soaking a broad stretch of earth, the scene was gruesome in the extreme, the stench of blood enough to make one retch.

"It looks like we can't stay here anymore. We need to find another suitable campsite before dark," Wang Qiang said, glancing around at the traces of the zombie attack. Some of the tents had already been knocked down.

Even the prepared ingredients had been drenched in blood.

Naturally, they could no longer be eaten.

Qin Sheng nodded, agreeing that Wang Qiang made sense, and quickly turned to gather her things.

Shen Shi followed her and began packing as well.

Only then did Zhang Dong arrive in a hurry. At the sight of the fallen heads and the unknown fluid sprayed across the ground, he could not help rushing to the roots of a nearby tree to vomit.

When he finally recovered, he looked up and instinctively glanced ahead. His pupils contracted at once, and his legs began to tremble with fear.

"A horde of zombies! There are zombies coming!" Zhang Dong forced his shaking lips to move and quickly shouted the warning to the others still packing in the camp behind him.

Qin Sheng had already finished packing. Following the direction Zhang Dong pointed, she took one look, and her brows immediately drew together. She turned at once and called back to the people behind her, "The zombie horde is here. We have to leave now!"

"What?"

"How did they get here so fast?!"

Perhaps the earlier noise and blood had lured more of them over.

The camp instantly descended into chaos. Everyone hastily gathered a few simple belongings and prepared to evacuate at once.

"There's a reverse slope deeper in the woods. Let's hide there first!" The one with rich wilderness survival experience pointed toward a spot behind the forest and motioned for everyone to take cover there for the moment.

"Move!"

"Run!"

Qin Sheng looked toward the approaching horde, still some distance away, and quickly joined the others.

In the whole group, perhaps only Qin Sheng and Shen Shi remained the calmest.

Soon they reached the reverse slope.

"Look, there's a hole down below!"

"Get in!"

"Find some leaves and branches and throw them in. Let's hide for now!"

There really was strength in numbers. Everyone quickly found plenty of large leaves and branches nearby and threw them around the opening in the slope.

A few people used leaves, branches, and some stones to block the entrance.

The low growls of the zombies soon reached their ears.

Qin Sheng held her breath. The surroundings fell silent at once, and the only sounds left in the air were the zombies' hoarse growls and the muted breathing of the people, forced down by fear.

Qin Sheng clenched her fist, ready to draw her saber in an instant.

There were indeed quite a lot of zombies. She gritted her teeth and should still be able to handle them, but she could not protect everyone.

If anything went wrong, it would be something she did not wish to see, but there was nothing to be done about it.

At crucial moments, she had already made all the preparations she could. Each person had their own fate, and some things were not hers to force.

The tense minutes dragged on for what felt like an eternity. Gradually, there was no sound outside at all, only the harsh and eerie cries of crows as they flew past, lending the place an even more sinister and frightening air.

It seemed the zombies had already gone.

Yet everyone merely stared at one another in silence, none daring to be the first to go out and see whether the zombies had truly left. Human nature was selfish at heart; no one wanted to gamble on such a highly likely accident.

"The zombies should be gone. Should we go out and take a look?" Little Fatty suggested quietly.

But someone quickly objected.

"If you want to go, go yourself. It's so dangerous outside. What if the zombies haven't left? That would just be throwing your life away!"

"Exactly. If you want to die, don't drag us down with you..."

Little Fatty opened his mouth, unsure how to answer, and looked helplessly at Wang Qiang.

It had only been a suggestion, yet he had not expected such a fierce reaction from everyone...

Wang Qiang shook his head at Little Fatty, signaling him not to bring it up again. It would be better to stay hidden in this cramped cave for a while. Perhaps when they went out again, the horde would already be gone.

Everyone had their own thoughts, and none dared suggest going out to check again.

Shen Shi glanced at Qin Sheng and seemed to sense that her thoughts were different.

While everyone else was crouching in frustration, the small yet powerful figure stood up. On that resolute little face, there was not the slightest trace of fear.

Qin Sheng was very certain there were no zombies around anymore. Under everyone's watchful gaze, she lifted a foot and kicked away the stones and branches blocking the entrance.

In an instant, sunlight poured into the cave, allowing a sliver of brightness to pierce the black and gray gloom within.

A faint smile touched Shen Shi's lips, and a trace of amusement appeared unhidden in his eyes, as though he had already foreseen Qin Sheng doing exactly this.

He followed her and swiftly stepped out of the cave.

Qin Sheng glanced at the boy standing beside her, then cast another look toward the people still hesitating inside. She could not help asking, "You came out so quickly. Aren't you afraid the zombie horde outside hasn't gone?"

On Shen Shi's usually cool and handsome face, a rare hint of a smile appeared. "If there were zombies, you wouldn't have come out either."

Qin Sheng curled her lips. That was true; Shen Shi wasn't wrong.

Though if she had been on her own, she might truly have come out anyway.

For example, to test her blade.

"Not necessarily." Qin Sheng smiled faintly, her tone taking on a hint of mystery. "Next time, make sure you judge carefully. What if you come out and run straight into zombies?"

Shen Shi clearly did not care. He pressed his somewhat dry lips together and replied lightly, "Don't worry. Even if it happens a few more times, I still won't hesitate to come out."

Qin Sheng pouted and did not answer.

Now she was certain that something must have happened to Shen Shi. He no longer cared at all about winning or losing, unlike the person she had known before.

Seemingly noticing her scrutinizing gaze, Shen Shi looked back at her and frowned slightly. "Why are you looking at me?"

Qin Sheng came to her senses and joked, "Nothing. I just feel like you seem a little different today."

"Different? Do I?" Shen Shi asked in puzzlement.

Qin Sheng nodded and said with a smile, "It feels like even if I won first place, you wouldn't blink."

She was only testing whether Shen Shi was as she suspected.

"I probably would blink." Shen Shi still answered her in that cool tone.

But before Qin Sheng could hear it clearly, his soft voice was drowned out by the reproachful voices of those climbing out from the cave behind them.

"Qin Sheng, you just came out like that without the slightest concern that the zombie horde outside might not have left?! If the horde really hadn't gone, wouldn't you be dragging us into the water and making us die with you!"

Qin Sheng's brows knitted slightly as she turned to look at the people who had come out.

"Not worried," Qin Sheng replied to the accusation with complete composure.

She truly was not worried.

At worst, she would let her saber taste blood again.

"..."

The crowd fell silent at her answer.

"Even if you're not worried, I still hope that next time you'll consider the rest of us. You may want to die, but we don't!"

"Exactly. The few of us grown men couldn't even beat the zombies, and you think you can?"

Apparently, these people had already forgotten who had saved them from danger in the camp moments ago.

"It's not like anything happened..." Little Fatty really could not stand it anymore. The zombies outside had clearly already gone far away; was it really appropriate to be blaming Qin Sheng now?

Besides, if Qin Sheng had not boldly gone out first, they would still be trapped in that awkward hole, unable even to see the sun.

"Nothing happened? That's because I said there was a chance of an accident! If you're not worried, then next time go out with her! Weren't you cowering earlier too?"

"You..." Little Fatty did not know how to refute that for a moment. Wang Qiang, standing beside him, patted his shoulder consolingly, signaling him not to take it too seriously.

Wang Qiang proved his position with action, striding straight to Qin Sheng's side and saying to the others, "I know very well who saved me just now, and that's why I firmly believe the person I trust without hesitation is worthy of trust."

Little Fatty also stepped up beside Wang Qiang and shouted, "Exactly. Qin Sheng is just one girl, and she has more guts than all of you put together. You still have the nerve to criticize her? If it hadn't been for her, you'd already have been torn to pieces by the zombies!"

Standing with Qin Sheng and Shen Shi now, Little Fatty seemed to have found his courage and shot back at them without hesitation.

"You! You all! If you keep following her, you'll regret it for sure. Let's just wait and see—you'll all be killed by Qin Sheng's recklessness!!"

Wang Qiang and Little Fatty were immediately displeased upon hearing that. What was this, personal attacks now? They were just about to retort when the usually quiet Shen Shi finally spoke.

"Only the incapable wallow in self-pity. Instead of blaming others, you should ask yourselves whether you are even qualified to judge."

At once, because Shen Shi had suddenly spoken, the surroundings fell utterly silent. His words seemed to echo through the woods, leaving everyone unable to refute or answer.

"So it seems Shen Shi, you're standing with Qin Sheng too?"