Deep Within the Living

Chapter 16: Suppression

Crackle—

The flames from the alcohol burned continuously on the zombie’s body. Strangely, the zombie showed no reaction to the fire. It didn’t try to douse the flames in the nearby pond or roll on the ground to extinguish them.

The four of them quickly noticed this oddity. Perhaps due to the interrupted ritual, the zombie before them lacked even the most basic survival instincts. However, the pus oozing from its skin effectively slowed the fire's progress. Burning the zombie entirely with alcohol alone was impossible, though it did have some effect.

The thick smoke from the burning flesh interfered with the zombie’s sense of smell, making it unable to pinpoint the group’s exact location. It turned its head left and right, scanning aimlessly.

The class leader gave a thumbs-up to Anna, who had thrown the Molotov cocktail, along with a signal to the two at the gate to assist in flanking the zombie. The leader and Anna moved almost simultaneously, positioning themselves to attack the zombie from its sides.

One sword and one axe.

Years of physical education during mandatory schooling and additional combat training outside of school came into play. Both naturally aimed for the theoretical weak spot: the neck.

As the two closed in, the zombie caught the scent of the living again. Despite its stiff appearance, its body reacted instantly.

Clang!

A loud metallic sound echoed across the mountaintop.From the front: The zombie lunged forward and bit down on Anna’s axe mid-swing. Even though the axe blade had cut into the sides of its face, it clamped down tightly, making it impossible to pull free.From the back: The class leader’s sword struck the back of the zombie’s neck, which was left unguarded. However, the blade only managed to cut through the skin, penetrating less than two centimeters. Between the torn skin, the pitch-black cervical vertebrae were faintly visible. The bone seemed to have undergone some form of hardening, and the earlier metallic sound had been caused by the blade striking it.The class leader quickly analyzed the situation:

"As I suspected, this zombie can achieve 'partial hardening.' When I fought alongside Luo Di before, the same thing happened. If I distracted it, Luo Di could easily saw off its arms. Alone, it’s almost impossible to win. With multiple attackers, things become manageable. Good thing we didn’t let this zombie complete the ritual; otherwise, it might’ve gained full-body hardening and other inhuman abilities."

The zombie, however, didn’t remain passive. Taking advantage of its grip on the axe, it swung its remaining arm at Anna, aiming to tear her apart.

Anna’s biceps flexed as she yanked the axe free from the zombie’s mouth with a loud crack, pulling out three of its teeth in the process. She quickly leapt back, narrowly avoiding its blackened claws, which came within millimeters of slashing her. The close call left Anna drenched in cold sweat.

As the zombie’s attack on Anna created an opening, Gao Yuxuan arrived on the scene. With practiced precision, he pulled out a silver needle and swiftly aimed for the back of the zombie’s head, targeting the depression between the trapezius muscles near the base of the skull.

Clang!

The metallic sound rang out again. The zombie’s hardened skull and neck left no entry point for the sharp needle. However, Gao Yuxuan’s eyes gleamed with unwavering confidence. Using his right thumb and index finger to steady the needle, he raised his left arm into a palm-strike position.

With a sudden burst of force, he struck the base of the needle, driving it deeper like hammering a nail. Normally, with the needle’s thinness and the hardness of the zombie’s skull, such a strike would cause the needle to pierce back through his own palm. Yet, when his hand struck the needle, the resulting sound was a crisp, ringing note.

Clang!

The precise and powerful blow pushed the needle two centimeters deeper, nearly breaking through the hardened layer. Moreover, the pure silver needle seemed to have a restraining effect on the supernatural. Black mist poured from the wound as the needle vibrated violently, sending waves of dark energy outward.

The zombie flinched from the pain. Just as it tried to turn around, Gao Yuxuan struck again with even greater force.

Crack—

The needle finally broke through some barrier, embedding nearly three inches into the zombie’s flesh.

The Fengfu Point.

In Gao Yuxuan’s mind, a zombie was still fundamentally a human body. The meridians within still functioned as intended. Piercing the Fengfu point allowed the needle to touch the medulla oblongata.

The zombie’s body convulsed violently, almost collapsing to the ground. The class leader seized the opportunity to adjust her position and swing her sword again.

Swish!

This time, the sword didn’t meet the same resistance. The blade cut deeply into the zombie’s neck, causing substantial damage. However, the zombie’s hardened body remained resilient. The sword stopped halfway through the cervical vertebra, making a full decapitation impossible.

Meanwhile, Gao Yuxuan prepared a second silver needle, this time aiming for the zombie’s temple.

Suddenly, the zombie’s faint instincts were activated by its impending death. A surge of yin energy rushed to the site of the embedded needle. The needle, now enveloped in black mist, was ejected with incredible force. Gao Yuxuan dodged just in time to avoid the needle piercing his face.

With its pressure point no longer restrained, the zombie went berserk. Its blackened claws swiped through the air, leaving terrifying black trails. The class leader reacted quickly, using agile footwork to retreat safely. Gao Yuxuan, positioned almost directly behind the zombie, had less room to maneuver. He stepped back, raising his arm to block just as the claws slashed at him.

Clang!

Gao Yuxuan was flung two meters away, landing heavily on the ground. Scattered around him were torn pieces of fabric and chunks of skin. Yet, the exposed area beneath his shredded sleeve revealed not flesh and blood but a gleaming metallic structure.

His entire left arm had been modified—possibly even fully replaced. This seemed to explain his mysterious two-week absence from school.

The class leader stared at Gao Yuxuan, sprawled on the ground. "That cybernetic arm of yours is surprisingly effective, and your attacks are unusually precise. If we try that acupuncture again, we might just manage to chop off this thing’s head. This time, let Anna do the cutting—my strength isn’t quite up to the task."

There was no time for rest; the flames on the zombie had almost completely died out, leaving half its body charred black. The impending danger left no room for hesitation.

Yet, the first to attack wasn’t the zombie—it was Anna. Without her axe, she lowered her center of gravity into a grappler’s stance and lunged forward with a powerful step.

The zombie immediately sensed her approach, swinging its remaining arm in a vicious attempt to tear her apart.

Swish—

Five black claw marks sliced through the air—missing their target entirely.

Anna, who should have been struck, had dropped low at the last moment, evading the attack.

Smack! With forceful precision, her strong arms wrapped around the zombie’s body.

After facing the creature several times in direct combat, Anna had gathered enough data to predict its straightforward movements with total confidence. She was 100% certain she could dodge its predictable arm attacks.

Most importantly, despite its hardened body, the zombie’s weight wasn’t significantly greater than that of an average human.

The Grappler’s Slam.

Executing a flawless twist, Anna lifted the zombie clean off the ground and slammed it hard into the dirt, its face buried in the soil. She then used her full body weight to pin it down, doing her best to immobilize it.

However, even at 187 cm tall and weighing 90 kg, Anna’s expression twisted with strain. She could feel an unseen force surging from within the zombie, and she knew she couldn’t hold it for long.

At almost the same moment, a silver needle descended from above, striking the same acupoint as before. This time, with just one decisive palm strike, the needle was driven deep into place.

Seeing this, Anna shouted urgently, "Wenwen! Hurry up and cut it—I can’t hold on much longer!"

The class leader, having experienced the difficulty of decapitating the zombie earlier, knew it would take at least 4–5 precise strikes to finish the job, and each cut had to hit exactly the right spot.

But as her peripheral vision caught something, a subtle change crossed her expression. Her lips curved slightly, and instead of aiming her blade at the zombie’s neck, she altered its path.

Swish!

The vertical blade pierced through the zombie’s hand, pinning it to the ground for additional restraint.

"What the hell are you doing, Wenwen?!" Anna shouted in confusion.

Before she could receive an answer, someone approached from directly in front of her.

Because Anna was crouched low, pressing the zombie down, she had to look up. From her angle, the figure before her seemed impossibly large—partly due to perspective, partly due to their imposing build and the weapon they held, and perhaps partly due to an intangible, menacing aura.

For a fleeting moment, Anna was reminded of a weekend spent with friends watching a slasher movie featuring a murderous villain.

Thɪs chapter is updated by novelfire(.)net