Chapter 113: You Chase Me, I Chase You 2 (Extra 13)
The seven of them hid behind the fence, whispering to discuss their plan.
“It’s too open—there are almost no obstacles. This kind of terrain isn’t suitable for running away.” Bai Xuanhe pulled his head back and reported his observations. “But the zombies are pretty spread out. If we’re careful, we should be able to avoid alerting them.”
“But they’re wearing headsets,” Lai Yudong, a loyal viewer of Countdown to Survival, wasn’t as optimistic. “As soon as the director gives the order, they’ll all turn their heads toward you at once.”
Bai Xuanhe: “…The way you said that is terrifying.”
[You really understand how the production team works]
[Silver-haired hottie’s definitely been watching the show]
[That’s exactly how Xiao Yin got caught last time QWQ]
[It’s a zombie theme, it’s not gonna be peaceful anyway]
“Here’s the plan—I’ll go first and show you how it’s done. If it’s fine, you can follow the same route.” Bai Xuanhe decided to take the risk himself. It was broad daylight; a few NPCs couldn’t scare him.
Mo Li asked worriedly, “What if an NPC chases you?”
“Then I run. Either block them at the gate or lose them somewhere—I’m fast,” Bai Xuanhe shrugged. “Worst case, I’ll be the first one eliminated.”
Neither the plan nor Bai Xuanhe himself reassured Lai Yudong. “I’ll go with you.”
“No, no, stay here. I can be eliminated first, but you can’t get kicked out so early—you’re the backbone of this team.” Bai Xuanhe knew just how crucial Lai Yudong was as their stabilizing force. “Alright, I’m off. Wait for good news.”
Just before leaving, he added, “If I get chased, I’ll lure the NPCs away. Use that chance to move across.”
After saying that, he strode confidently toward the open field where the zombies were wandering.
Qu Xincheng watched Bai Xuanhe’s back with worry. “He’s going to be okay, right?”
Their friendship dated back to the tough times they shared after debuting as a group. The three of them had bought a home projector together—if the movie lineup that night included a horror film, Qu Xincheng would quietly slip into Bai Xuanhe’s room and swap places with Su Junzhe.
Little by little, their bond skyrocketed.
“If there’s a problem, we can’t do anything about it,” Lai Yudong said, fully aware of Bai Xuanhe’s personality. “As long as he thinks he’s fine, the more you try to stop him, the more fired up he gets. Might as well let him give it a try.”
At least he could serve as a test case for the rest of them.
Bai Xuanhe moved swiftly among the zombies, his body agile and precise, as if he were dodging invisible laser beams.
At one point, a zombie nearly turned and caught him, but he quickly twisted aside, using another zombie as cover, inching forward carefully yet daringly.
Zhao Yifeng was dumbfounded. “Does he have to be that flexible?”
“The NPCs follow fixed routes,” Lai Yudong explained his observation. “If you can plan out the optimal path, it makes things a lot easier.”
Zhao Yifeng, well aware of his own coordination, replied, “Theory doesn’t always translate to reality—kind of like how getting a driver’s license doesn’t matter if you can’t afford a car.”
[Perfect challenge for our dance-line baby]
[I was just thinking we shouldn’t torment Teacher Zhao’s old bones—but wait, Brother Bai’s even older]
[What old bones? Brother Bai’s only twenty-two, he’s the oldest in the group but still young—]
[Honestly, running straight through sounds safer than all that sneaking around]
[Don’t underestimate the NPCs though]
While they were talking, Bai Xuanhe finally reached the research facility with great effort. He examined the entrance, pulling the door, then pushing it, then just stood there blankly in front of it—frozen, with no idea what to do next.
A few seconds later, he turned around and shouted toward his teammates, “There’s no keycard! I can’t get in!”
In that instant, all the zombies froze mid-step, then turned their heads in unison—locking onto Bai Xuanhe, who was standing at the research facility entrance.
The scene they had imagined… had just come true.
Lai Yudong went silent for a second, then picked up the walkie-talkie. “Bai Xuanhe, the difference between us and cavemen is that we know how to use tools.”
“I forgot!!” Bai Xuanhe’s voice came through the walkie-talkie.
[Aaaah I’m dying laughing]
[I wasn’t even laughing before, but as soon as the team leader opened his mouth, I’m wheezing 😂]
[Brother Bai, that’s a walkie-talkie, not a brick]
[Is this what they call “delivering your own head on a silver platter”?]
[Bai Xuanhe, just accept your fate in peace]
The zombies, who had been shuffling sluggishly moments ago, suddenly roared and lunged toward the source of the sound—the only human in sight—with terrifying speed, fast enough to capture anyone slower on the spot.
Bai Xuanhe didn’t hesitate for even a second—he turned and ran.
Brains sacrificed, legs blessed.
Bai Xuanhe was already a fast runner, and with his long legs, his speed surged even more. He bolted so fast it almost left an afterimage, maintaining a steady gap between himself and the pack of pursuing zombies.
At a sharp turn, he disappeared behind the research building, leading the NPCs away with him.
“Don’t worry about me! Just find a way into the lab!”
Those were his last words before vanishing from sight.
“Don’t let Bai Xuanhe’s sacrifice go to waste,” Lai Yudong called his stunned teammates back to focus. “The priority now is to find that keycard.”
Li Xu frowned. “Where’s the keycard? They didn’t give us any clues.”
As soon as he said that, everyone’s smartwatches lit up, displaying their first hint.
“—Proceed to the security booth and locate the keycard.”
Mo Li read the message on his watch aloud, instantly regretting it. “So Xuanhe went there for nothing? We could’ve just waited here for the task update!”
“Probably not,” Lai Yudong shook his head. “If that were the case, the task would’ve appeared on our watches from the start, not several minutes later. My guess is that someone had to reach the lab entrance to trigger the condition.”
Zhao Yifeng folded his arms, sighing. “So basically, the production team just had to toy with us first?”
“Pretty much,” Lai Yudong said lightly. “It’s a game, after all.”
[Did he really just say that out loud hhhh]
[3’s “I wanna say it but I better not” expression was priceless]
[Every teammate here is testing Mo Li’s survival instincts]
[I’m terrified that after graduation Mo Li’s gonna lose all his filters too]
[The entertainment industry’s full of chaotic geniuses]
[Come on, Brother Feng was just joking! Why’s everyone acting like it’s forbidden speech? 😂]
Now that they knew where to go, things became a bit clearer.
The security booth wasn’t hard to find—it stood near the main gate, visible from where they were if they just peeked out.
However, inside the booth was a zombie relentlessly slapping the glass.
The skin and muscles on its jaw had long decayed, leaving the gums exposed. Bloody handprints smeared the windows and door, the dark brown blood half-coagulated—one look was enough to imagine the stench of rot that would spill out the moment the door opened.
It was like déjà vu—throwback to the “healing phone booth” task.
But this scene was far more terrifying.
“What do we do? Someone’s definitely gotta lure the zombie away.” Zhao Yifeng shrank back behind the fence, speaking with the honesty of a frail modern college student. “I mean, I could go, but I’d probably get caught before you even find the keycard. And that zombie looks way too aggressive—I might not even last a few seconds.”
“I’ll go,” Lai Yudong volunteered. He was fairly confident in his running speed.
[Is SE2 actually fast?]
[We can’t lose Captain Yuzu]
[That zombie looks terrifying—I swear it’s about to pounce]
[Maybe just call Bai Xuanhe back?]
[He’s already being chased—one more won’t make a difference, right? 233]
[In the end, Brother Bai carries all the suffering.jpg]
The barrage of comments wasn’t the only resistance—his teammates didn’t want Lai Yudong to go either.
“But…”
Qu Xincheng hesitated, sneaking a glance at Su Junzhe. It wasn’t that he had any issue with him personally—but he was genuinely afraid that this guy was a ticking time bomb, ready to emotionally damage his teammates at any moment.
Whether it was that eerie laughter echoing right beside your ear or scaring him before the NPCs could, both were experiences his heart could no longer handle.
If Lai Yudong left, Su Junzhe would be unstoppable—and Zhao Yifeng, the only other brave one in the group, definitely wouldn’t bother to rein him in. The world would soon fall into chaos—completely ruled by trolls.
The game’s difficulty level would easily shoot up three notches.
Qu Xincheng racked his brain for a solid excuse, thinking so hard his CPU was about to fry. In the end, he recycled one of Bai Xuanhe’s earlier justifications.
“It’s better if the captain stays behind… right?”
“Hm?”
Lai Yudong looked down at the sleeve Qu Xincheng was clutching. He hadn’t expected to be stopped again when volunteering for a task—it made him start to wonder if his past stint as the group’s “undercover traitor” had left a lasting shadow on them.
So he cracked a dark little joke. “Then how about you go?”
Qu Xincheng: “…”
Qu Xincheng: “There isn’t a third option?”
————————————————————
Author’s Note:
Info Drop —
D&D Nine Alignments:
Su Junzhe — Chaotic Neutral
Lai Yudong — Neutral Good
Mo Li — Lawful Neutral
Zhao Yifeng — Chaotic Good
Qu Xincheng — Lawful Good
Bai Xuanhe — Neutral Good
Li Xu — Chaotic Good
(The above are their normal alignments based on personality. The “Chaotic Evil Fun-Gremlin” mode only unlocks when they start messing around.)
