Chapter 114: You Chase Me, I Chase You 3 (Extra 14)
Upholding the principle that life comes first, the one who finally lured the zombies away was Su Junzhe.
Don’t be fooled by his small size or the fact that he’s the team’s “cute member.” His strength is enough to drag Lai Yudong along with him, or to physically block his stage teammates inside the practice room. When he runs, he’s as light as the wind.
Other people have “gap moe” — he might be pure “split personality moe.”
Taking advantage of Su Junzhe drawing the NPCs’ aggro, Lai Yudong rushed into the cramped security booth. With the efficiency of a dorm manager during room inspection, he rummaged through the drawers and successfully found a keycard.
“Go!” he called to the others.
The group crossed the safe square that Bai Xuanhe had cleared. With a beep, the card swiped through the sensor — the first checkpoint was smoothly cleared.
“The research institute’s security is seriously lacking,” Li Xu commented sharply. “No wonder it fell so easily. The keycard’s that easy to find, and the main gate’s this easy to open? Shouldn’t they at least have doors several meters thick?”
“The production budget was limited,” Zhao Yifeng said sympathetically. “It’s already a miracle they didn’t make the doors out of glass.”
Lai Yudong didn’t rush inside. He lifted his walkie-talkie, concerned for the two teammates whose survival was uncertain. “Are you guys okay? We can go in now.”
“Ahhh we’re doomed! I just got clear!” Bai Xuanhe’s wail crackled through the static — the zombies’ roars were clearly audible in the background.
“What happened? Did I lure the zombies to you?” Lai Yudong asked guiltily — he’d forgotten that speaking up at the wrong time could easily screw over his teammates.
“No, but your voice came out of nowhere and scared me. I screamed, and that scream brought all the zombies over.”
“…”
Lai Yudong switched channels to ask the other one, “What about Su Junzhe?”
“Shook them off~!” Su Junzhe’s voice burst through, bright and syrupy, like taking a sunny sip of Teletubby baby milk. “You guys go in first, I think I just saw Bai Xuanhe — I’m going to find him.”
Qu Xincheng pressed his hands together in mock prayer. “Rest in peace, Bai Xuanhe.”
“I’m still alive!!” Bai Xuanhe shouted back.
[Su Junzhe’s coming for you — how is that any different from being dead / doge]
[Question: what happened to our curly-haired little bro?]
[Being locked up with an NPC vs. being locked up with Su Su — a truly impossible dilemma]
[I believe Su Su means well going to save Brother Bai, but I also believe he’s up to no good]
[This is the definition of literary contradiction (literally falling backward)]
[Xiao Su is a bad kitty]
Time was limited; they couldn’t just stand frozen at the door. The directors might even send NPCs to hurry them along. Besides, with the half-ally, half-rival Su Junzhe going to back him up, there was no need to worry too much about Bai Xuanhe’s safety.
After all, Su Junzhe was still human — not a zombie.
To make it easier for the two of them to catch up with the main group, Lai Yudong tucked the keycard into the soil of a potted plant. He relayed the message to them, then led his teammates on a brave charge into the research institute.
At this point, only five people remained in the team.
The accident happened quickly. Turning a corner — surprise, love at first fright — they collided head-on with a wandering zombie.
A hand draped in tattered cloth shot straight forward, reaching for Lai Yudong at the front. His body reacted before his mind did; after narrowly dodging the grab, he finally realized what had happened.
“Run!!”
In the chaos, Lai Yudong seized Mo Li’s wrist with one hand and caught the hem of Li Xu’s clothes with the other, whipping around and bolting instinctively.
Only after the two of them had started running did he let go — he didn’t want to slow them down in the hallway.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help the timid Qu Xincheng, but their positions were simply too far apart. He could only save whoever was closest — whoever he could reach.
“Where are we going?” Li Xu managed to ask, barely keeping pace near the front of the group.
“It doesn’t matter,” Lai Yudong said calmly. “Just lose him first — take a few turns, or find somewhere to hide.”
At the back of the line, Zhao Yifeng was running purely on willpower. “Can we even shake him off? That NPC’s fast!“
[Dorae-Yu, think of something quick!]
[I’m afraid they’ll end up shaking off Teacher Zhao too, lmao]
[That dodge from the white-haired guy was insane — one second later and he’d have been eliminated]
[This reminds me of the time Dong-baby hooked his cup strap]
[Yes yes yes! I noticed then how quick his reflexes were! A freestyle prodigy (not really)]
[They’re too close to the NPC, it’s gonna be hard to lose him]
The ideal was beautiful — reality was cruel.
Unfortunately, at the very next corner, they ran right into a new NPC zombie drawn over by the noise.
“There’s another one ahead!” Lai Yudong slammed on the brakes, abandoning the turn and choosing to sprint straight instead.
But the teammates behind him couldn’t react in time. The sudden zombie blocked their way like a wall of flesh, sealing off three paths at the intersection. They couldn’t go forward or back — they had no choice but to veer into another passage.
The new zombie chased Lai Yudong.
The old zombies chased Li Xu and the others.
With danger closing in, the team didn’t have the luxury to panic. Only Mo Li, positioned in the middle, still had the composure to assess the chaos. “Lai Yudong’s gone? Did we lose him?”
“Shouldn’t it be he’s the one who got left behind!?” Li Xu, now forced into the lead, felt completely helpless. “He’s alone! We’re four!”
Zhao Yifeng was panting so hard he could barely speak. “We… might soon… be one person… too…”
“This setting makes no sense!” Li Xu was like a walking barrage of complaints — with built-in voice commentary. “Every zombie show under the same theme has some way to fight them, and all we can do is run!”
“You can’t attack the NPCs!” Mo Li shouted in panic.
“I meant the show’s rules, not that I want to hit them!” Li Xu retorted. “Like—couldn’t they give us some inflatable batons or something!? Why is it that if a zombie so much as touches us, we’re instantly infected!? With that kind of power gap, it’s a miracle humanity isn’t extinct already!”
[I was wondering the same thing]
[Then it wouldn’t be a survival race anymore, it’d be “Beat Up the Kids: The Show”]
[Players are destined to be at the bottom of the food chain here]
[At least the guy’s got spirit]
Unfortunately, not everyone had as much spirit as Li Xu.
Realizing that, Mo Li quickly suggested they split up. If everyone clustered together, it was harder to escape—and even if someone got caught, at least it wouldn’t be a total party wipe.
As for which one the zombies would pick, that depended entirely on luck.
And as it turned out, those who screamed the loudest often had the worst luck. Qu Xincheng had the dubious honor of being the zombies’ chosen one.
“Why meeeee!!!”
Qu Xincheng couldn’t believe it. He’d done good deeds all his life, never harmed anyone, and yet, at the critical moment, he’d become fate’s designated sacrifice—the Chosen of the Zombies.
Worse still, he’d managed to run himself right into a dead end.
Getting eliminated was one thing—but getting caught by a zombie? That was serious!
He was definitely going to have nightmares tonight.
Clinging to a desperate hope for survival, Qu Xincheng flung open a nearby door. Judging by the setup, it looked like an infirmary.
But bad luck refused to leave his side.
The door lock was broken. It wouldn’t close—just a light push, and it would swing right open again.
—What kind of cursed luck is this!?
At this point, there was no turning back. Qu Xincheng could only accept his fate and frantically look for somewhere to hide.
His gaze landed on the bed behind the curtain. Maybe—just maybe—if he crawled underneath, he could survive this round.
The staff had said that zombies wouldn’t bend down or look under things for no reason — so, if necessary, it was possible to hide. And since he hadn’t crawled under the bed right in front of the zombie’s eyes… maybe that didn’t count as being chased anymore, right?
Whether it would work or not, this was his only option.
Without another moment’s hesitation, Qu Xincheng scrambled under the bed like a tiny hamster, curling up into a weak, helpless, pitiful little ball. He shut his eyes and prayed devoutly that the NPC would show mercy and move on.
But soon, he sensed that something was wrong.
Why did the zombie’s groans sound… so close?
Did it really come that fast? How had it entered without footsteps?
“Urghhh—”
Wait—that wasn’t coming from the front!
From the position he was lying in, the sound should have come from ahead of him… but it was so close, it felt like someone was whispering right behind his ear.
Frowning in confusion, Qu Xincheng opened his eyes. Through the gap between the sheet and the floor, he saw a pair of feet slowly shuffling away. The zombie, having lost its target, calmed down from its frenzy and returned to its sluggish, staggering state.
The zombie left.
Qu Xincheng let out a long sigh of relief and rolled onto his back, lying face-up. Just as he did, his hand landed on something warm.
He turned his head—
—and found himself staring straight into the eyes of a zombie struggling and thrashing beside him.
The walkie-talkie slipped from his trembling hand.
The zombie bared its teeth and glared at him fiercely—which also perfectly explained why the sounds had been coming from the wrong direction earlier.
Qu Xincheng: “…”
Qu Xincheng: “AAAAAAH HELP MEEEE!!!”
Can someone please tell him why there was already a zombie stuck under the bed!?
Props to the NPC actors for their dedication—
but seriously, this was so unnecessary!!
……
Lai Yudong had also been driven into a dead end.
With his speed, shaking off a zombie would’ve been easy—if only there were somewhere to run.
Technically, he could have ducked into a room, locked the zombie out, and waited safely until the time ran out. But this was a team-based mission, one that required everyone’s cooperation. Locked outside weren’t just NPCs—his teammates were, too.
He was cautious by nature, yes—but more importantly, he was StarEpoch’s captain.
Bai Xuanhe and Su Junzhe’s fates were still unknown, and the rest were all scattered, fleeing for their lives. He couldn’t just close a door and wash his hands of it all.
So Lai Yudong flung open every door he passed, one after another, until he finally placed his hopes on the last one—a clean, spacious office furnished with a sofa and a desk set.
He darted inside, the zombie right on his heels.
[gg, nowhere left to run]
[This is brutal—don’t they even get a map?]
[There are barely any normal NPCs this round; only one of the doctors seemed human, the rest are all zombies]
[Wait, no respawns this time?]
[Nope, pure human effort—no power-ups, no extra lives]
[My poor Yuzu T^T]
But Lai Yudong didn’t believe this would be where he fell.
He’d checked each room for a reason—to find one that gave him options, obstacles he could use to his advantage.
The silver-haired youth darted behind the office desk. Just when everyone thought the first eliminated player was about to appear, he suddenly planted a foot on the leather office chair, narrowly dodging the zombie’s grasp. In one smooth motion, he pushed off with his legs, vaulted up onto the desk, and then leapt down from the other side.
With a soft thud, he landed lightly on the floor and bolted straight for the doorway without looking back.
The entire maneuver took less than three seconds.
[Holy crap]
[He actually escaped?!]
[Theoretically doable, but you’d have to be insanely fast—otherwise the NPC would’ve blocked the way]
[He really didn’t get touched—the NPC just froze for a second]
[That was so intense oh my god!!]
[No wonder he wasted time checking every door earlier]
[I can’t even talk properly anymore, he’s so freaking cool, Dong you legend!!]
The NPC had clearly been caught off guard. Though it quickly turned around and gave chase, the moment had already passed.
Lai Yudong not only escaped unscathed—he even remembered to shut the door behind him. From the other side, he pressed his body hard against it as the zombie pounded furiously, the force so strong it nearly shoved him off balance.
Composed as ever, he said evenly, “Zombies can’t open doors, right?”
It was a reminder to the NPC—as a player, not a plea from a “human.”
Sure enough, after a few seconds, the pounding stopped. Silence returned.
[Absolute legend—first player to ever trap an NPC]
[He just broke the fourth wall mid-game]
[What’s his name? I demand he gets a return appearance!]
[Incredible adaptability under pressure]
[Please support our tiny but mighty group’s only visual and captain—Lai Yudong~]
Lai Yudong finally let out a long breath of relief.
The whole chase hadn’t been physically exhausting, but the tension alone was enough to leave his heart racing.
Just as he was about to contact his teammates, his walkie-talkie crackled—there was a heavy thud, followed by a familiar voice screaming:
“AAAAAAH HELP MEEEEE!!!”
A second later, his smartwatch chimed with a crisp ding, followed by an automated announcement:
“StarEpoch – Qu Xincheng has been eliminated.”
[The crown prince has fallen—]
[Was that… him sitting on the walkie-talkie?]
[The sooner you die, the sooner you’re freed. Early elimination, less suffering.]
[Honestly, not a bad outcome.]
[Go in peace, Prince.]
Lai Yudong: “……”
What the hell just happened? He’d only been away from the group for a few minutes.
—————————————————————
Author’s Note:
Info Drop —
Luck ranking:
Li Xu (Metaphysical Representative) > Lai Yudong (Miraculously escapes misfortune every time) > Bai Xuanhe (Uses IQ to offset bad luck) > Zhao Yifeng (Blessing or curse, who knows) > Mo Li (Average human luck) > Su Junzhe (Overpowers fate with sheer ability) > Qu Xincheng (Sacrificed all luck to become the Prince)
