Chapter 7

Still vivid in his memory was the night before last, when a female zombie had caused quite a stir, which was already terrifying enough. Zhao Zhu had almost been given a "chest surgery" by that female zombie. Now, it seemed that all the coffins in the mortuary were about to come to life, which was an extremely dangerous situation for Zhao Zhu and Chen Hong, who were still inside. Once dozens of zombies jumped out of the coffins, even with Chen Hong's knowledge of magic, they would surely be unable to hold out.

"Scrape, scrape, scrape..."

"Scrape, scrape, scrape..."

The sound of nails scraping against the coffin boards made one's scalp tingle. Chen Hong bit her lip and said immediately, "This mortuary is about to turn upside down. Let's go!"

"Go?" Zhao Zhu was quite surprised. "Didn't you say that if we disrupt the established plot, a greater punishment would come?"

"That depends on the situation. If we stay here any longer and all these zombies rise, we won't be able to leave, and we'll surely die," Chen Hong said urgently.

Since they met, Zhao Zhu had never seen Chen Hong so flustered, clearly indicating that the situation was extremely critical.

"Let's not rush. When something unusual happens, there must be a reason. Let's see what's causing this. You said there are more spirits and terrifying things outside, so if we leave rashly, we might run into them," Zhao Zhu countered. "Come, let's check. I remember lighting incense before nightfall, so there's no reason for all of them to rise at once."

Zhao Zhu approached a coffin and began to examine it closely. The coffin was making scraping and creaking sounds, indicating that the zombie inside was about to come out. However, Zhao Zhu remained calm, seemingly unconcerned.

Chen Hong hesitated for a moment, looked at Zhao Zhu, and then at the dark night outside. Finally, she gritted her teeth and began to check each coffin as Zhao Zhu did.

The longer they stayed in the mortuary, the more dangerous it became. Some coffins were already starting to crack, and the smell of corpse gas began to fill the air, making it suffocating.

Zhao Zhu checked seven or eight coffins in succession and found nothing unusual. He turned to see Chen Hong still checking, and she also hadn't found anything out of the ordinary.

"Crack!"

At that moment, the coffin closest to Zhao Zhu cracked open, and a hand covered in white hair reached out, waving at him. It seemed the zombie inside was eager to get out.

At this moment, Zhao Zhu's gaze fell on the innermost coffin, which was new and contained the small zombie they had brought back from the land temple. For no reason, Zhao Zhu had a premonition and quickly ran to the coffin, pushing open the lid. He immediately drew a sharp breath.

"Phew... Chen Hong, I've found the problem."

Hearing this, Chen Hong ran over and her face changed dramatically when she saw the scene inside the coffin.

The small zombie, which had been lying in the coffin, was now covered in red hair. Its face had become more twisted and sinister, and the talisman on its forehead looked shriveled, as if it could fall off at any moment. The small zombie's body was trembling slightly, clearly indicating that the talisman was no longer effective.

"A red-haired zombie, no wonder. The sha qi (negative energy) in a red-haired zombie is hundreds of times more concentrated than in other zombies. It's preparing to turn red, which is attracting sha qi and affecting the nearby corpses, causing them to rise as well."

"Stop talking nonsense. Is there a way to deal with this little thing?"

"I don't have many options, but I have a talisman that might work. It needs fresh human blood. Give me some of your blood. I need to focus my energy to draw the talisman, and if I cut myself, I won't be able to do it."

"Give me the knife." Zhao Zhu extended his hand to Chen Hong without hesitation.

Taking the dagger, Zhao Zhu cut a large gash in his palm, and blood immediately flowed out.

Chen Hong dipped her fingertips in Zhao Zhu's blood and began drawing a talisman on the small zombie. When the blood started to dry, she shouted, "Not enough blood, squeeze more."

Zhao Zhu took a deep breath and began squeezing his injured hand with his other hand, causing more blood to flow. He winced in pain.

Chen Hong continued drawing the talisman. As she was about to complete the final stroke to activate it, the talisman on the small zombie's forehead burst into flames, and its eyes filled with a torrent of blood-red light. The hatred and resentment were terrifying!

At the same time, the small zombie began to move, making it impossible for Chen Hong to focus and complete the final stroke. If she didn't finish it, all their efforts would be in vain.

"Press it down, I need one more stroke!" Chen Hong shouted at Zhao Zhu.

Zhao Zhu, displaying his courage and decisiveness once again, jumped into the coffin. He pressed down with his knees and hands, holding the small zombie back. However, he could feel the zombie's resistance growing stronger, and he had a premonition that he would be thrown out. The smell of blood was also becoming more intense, making it difficult for Zhao Zhu to breathe, even a small amount of the smell causing a burning sensation in his lungs.

Now, they could only hope that Chen Hong would complete the talisman quickly and that it would work. Otherwise, they would both die in the mortuary.

With Zhao Zhu's help, Chen Hong finally completed the final stroke. The small zombie's body emitted a dark red light, like a net, binding it tightly. The small zombie's body became increasingly hot, like a branding iron. Zhao Zhu quickly jumped out of the coffin, his inner thighs already slightly burned, with some skin and flesh stuck to his pants.

"Did it work or not?" Zhao Zhu didn't have time to tend to his injuries.

"It should... have worked," Chen Hong said, unsure herself.

However, the talisman drawn with Zhao Zhu's blood proved effective. The small zombie's body began to emit smoke, and the coffin was charred and cracked, breaking apart with a "crack." The red hair on the small zombie melted into blood and evaporated, leaving a small pit on the ground. The small zombie itself slowly turned into a pile of white powder, while the Qing dynasty official's robe, made of special material, remained intact, though its owner had completely disappeared.

At the same time, the other coffins in the mortuary suddenly became quiet. The zombies that had almost reached out with their hands pulled them back, stopping their rise at the last moment.

"Phew... Phew..."

Zhao Zhu and Chen Hong both let out deep breaths, clearly under great mental pressure. Fortunately, the problem was solved, and the crisis was temporarily over.

"There's some mugwort in the yard. Bring it to fumigate, or the corpse poison will be too strong," Chen Hong said.

"Okay, you go. I can't move," Zhao Zhu said, sitting on a pile of straw. His legs were red and bloody, clearly severely burned.

"Rest and take care of yourself. I'll go," Chen Hong said, walking out to get the mugwort.

Zhao Zhu thought about cutting his pants and tending to his wounds while the blood was still fresh, but he remembered Chen Hong's words that he would return to the real world unharmed when the task was over. He decided not to do it, as the wound would heal in a day, and even if it got infected, it wouldn't be fatal in the short term.

"Drink some water."

Chen Hong held a bundle of mugwort in her left hand and a bowl of water in her right.

Taking the bowl, Zhao Zhu drank the water in one go, feeling a bit better, though he still had several painful spots on his body, all within his tolerance.

"You rest tonight, I'll keep watch," Chen Hong said. Zhao Zhu had lost a lot of blood and was injured, so it was impossible for him to keep watch.

"Thanks," Zhao Zhu said, lying down and closing his eyes to rest.

As he drifted off to sleep, Zhao Zhu heard a sound:

"Task completed, rewarded with 1700 points, returning to the real world."

...

His body jolted, and Zhao Zhu woke up, finding himself lying in his bed at home. He checked his hands and thighs, and the injuries were gone, completely healed.

This was indeed his home, not a world created by hypnosis. He habitually reached for his phone by the bed. The battery was full, and the group number he had saved was still there. He searched for the group number: 262868467, and the search result was a group with a creepy skull as its icon, the skull pointing forward, its eyes seemingly staring at him, giving an indescribable eerie feeling.

He applied to join the group, leaving the application reason blank. The application was quickly approved.

Then, the group messages started:

"Haha, a new member has joined. Welcome, new member."

"I just said, the group owner just kicked out the old Zhao and the others. Since they're dead, a new member will definitely join to fill the spot."

"Welcome, new member. I hope you live a long time."

"Where are you from, new member? Are you handsome? If you're close by, I'll come find you and make you feel good..."

"Xu Ziyuan, you're being a flirt again. You're such a flirt. Why haven't you died yet? You've done enough tasks to become a moderator by now."

"Right, Brother Hu, you should respect her. Otherwise, when I complete 10 tasks and become a moderator, I'll use my power on you."

"Oh, I'm so scared."

...