[?]
[Ning Su, the Zombie King?]
[There must be some mistake! It has to be a mistake!]
[It’s known that Ning Su is a player from the Yinhua Guild, and the Yinhua Guild is in the human faction = Ning Su is a human player = another Ning Su is a zombie ≠ Ning Su is the Zombie King!]
[Shouldn’t the Zombie King be an important NPC? Can a player take that role?]
[No, “another player” is just an NPC, not a real player.]
[Wait a minute! Now this Ning Su among the zombies is definitely a zombie, so doesn’t that mean Ning Su has exposed himself as a human player?]
[Ning Su, danger.]
[Calm down, the Yongming Guild’s progress is only at “two selves,” not yet at “two selves, one human, one zombie.”]
[...]
The barrage comments were excitedly discussing, buzzing with excitement.
In the southern suburbs, however, the atmosphere was somewhat quiet.
Quiet to the point of being eerie.
Even the zombies’ instinctive “growl” sounds were gone, as they all looked at the two Ning Sus.
The Human Pupa Master and the Vampire were shocked and confused, their confusion mixed with nervousness, and their nervousness tinged with inexplicable anger.
The Warlock died before he could finish his sentence.
But the Gu Witch and the Black-clothed Azan still inferred something from his words.
He said he understood the system prompt, the system prompt to protect oneself, and he also mentioned seeing Yin Qingmo, someone who was always with Shi Tianzhu, so he must have seen another one.
They inferred the “two selves” rule.
Of course, the two of them quickly understood as well.
When they set out today, the Black-clothed Azan had already told them, besides looking for the Zombie King, to be aware of another self of the players along the way.
They hadn’t seen another self of any other players along the way.
Unexpectedly, the Zombie King they were looking for was another Ning Su?
Ning Su: “Listen to me!”
The two people glared at him.
Ning Su pointed at another version of himself holding instant noodles. “He’s just an ordinary little zombie!”
The Human Pupa Master and the Vampire looked around. Terrifying high-level zombies were gathered here, surrounding him obediently.
You call this an ordinary little zombie?
Ning Su: “He’s a friendly little zombie who loves making friends. They’re having a party.”
The Human Pupa Master and the Vampire looked again at the horrifying, twisted zombies, and the zombie king holding instant noodles.
What kind of party?
A dance party?
An instant noodles party?
Ning Su was about to explain when the Vampire interrupted him. “Alright, enough. Another you is a zombie king. Isn’t this a great thing?”
Ning Su: “…?”
[...]
[“A Great Thing”]
The Vampire looked at Ning Su holding the instant noodles, then at the other Ning Su staring at him, frowning in serious thought.
Suddenly, his blue eyes lit up. He stared intently at Ning Su. “I understand the more specific rules of ‘two selves.’”
Ning Su placed his hand behind his back, ready to draw his weapon at any moment.
Vampire: “The weaker the original self, the stronger the other self.”
Ning Su: “…?”
The Vampire looked at Ning Su, becoming more convinced of his theory. “Ning Su is weak, so his other self is the zombie king. It should be the strongest among the players’ other selves. That’s only fair.”
The other Ning Su looked at Ning Su.
With a face full of confusion and a bit of embarrassment, “Is this really what I become in the future?”
Ning Su: “...”
The Vampire asked the Human Pupa Master, “Do you think my theory is correct?”
The Human Pupa Master didn’t speak.
She hadn’t spoken since seeing the Zombie King.
Ning Su noticed her fingers tightly clutching the human pupa canister, opening and closing, showing excitement and nervousness.
Something was wrong.
A wave of panic hit Ning Su’s heart.
At that moment, Manman carefully tugged at his sleeve.
He turned around hurriedly.
Behind him, two children were looking at him with tension and guilt, while little Shi Tianzhu was nowhere to be seen.
The Human Pupa Master laughed, “Ning Su, do you really take us for fools?”
Vampire: “What?”
Ning Su calmly recalled everything.
The young Shi Tianzhu had been by his side the whole time, squatting under the lingxiao vines, all the way until they got off the vehicle.
When they got off, Ning Su had watched them disembark first, but after he got off, he walked ahead of them.
Ning Su immediately understood the moment Shi Tianzhu had disappeared.
When he saw that the Zombie King they were looking for turned out to be himself, he had been stunned, nervous, and flooded with memories.
The two children, upon seeing another him, must have been equally surprised and excited, perhaps even delighted, their attention fully on his other self.
That was the perfect moment.
And it could only succeed at that moment.
The Black-clothed Azan and another player from the Yongming Guild appeared beside their vehicle.
That player was named Jing Dingxuan. Ning Su had read her file. She, like Chen Qing, was skilled in invisibility but was far superior to Chen Qing*. (T/N: The girl from Mutual Aid Guild whom Ning Su met at the first instance.)
Chen Qing’s invisibility relied on a cloak that couldn’t hide her aura, whereas Jing Dingxuan’s invisibility was spatial, allowing her to temporarily conceal a small space from people’s perception.
This small space was enough to take away little Shi Tianzhu.
At this moment, little Shi Tianzhu was locked in a white rectangular cage, blatantly placed beside Jing Dingxuan. She wasn’t afraid of Ning Su trying to snatch it away, so it was obviously no ordinary cage.
The young Shi Tianzhu said to Ning Su, “Don’t worry, I’m fine. They want something from us, so they won’t hurt me.”
Ning Su nodded at her and looked up at the people from the Yongming Guild. “When did you start suspecting me?”
The Human Pupa Master said, “I suspected you the moment I saw you. You were very close to Shi Tianzhu, and you had the Heaven-piercing Silk that she gave you. How could I not be wary of you?”
“So I made you the first to go to the zombie warehouse. I didn’t expect you to pass.”
“The zombies in the warehouse were personally selected by us, and the test was something we repeatedly experimented with. At the time, we trusted that zombie test too much, so we dismissed our doubts.”
“You were close to Shi Tianzhu, but you were also close to Ning Changfeng, her rival, and you had good relations with the Hongyu Guild, the Jiuxing Guild, and the Mutual Aid Guild. The zombie test was more convincing than a single relationship, so we believed you.”
This was the thought process that Ning Su had guessed for the Human Pupa Master.
“You started suspecting me again last night?”
Black-clothed Azan said, “It was not long after we learned about the ‘two selves’ rule.”
Ning Su pondered where he had exposed himself.
He had guessed that he would be exposed today because people from four of the guilds had already found the zombie faction’s base.
At first, he didn’t mention his guild to Guo Xiao and the Vampire. Duing the day and night, he had minimal contact with others to avoid talking about the guild he’s from, but it was impossible to never talk about it.
As long as people from other guilds gathered, he would undoubtedly be exposed.
He planned to find an opportunity to leave during this outing.
But he didn’t expect Black-clothed Azan, the Human Pupa Master, and Jing Dingxuan to join forces early and set him up.
It wasn’t during the time he killed Guo Xiao, nor was it when he killed the Warlock. The only time he could be exposed was when he spoke to Chu Yuling with the Gu insects around. But he and the Gu Witch held each other’s secrets, so they wouldn’t expose each other.
Black-clothed Azan looked at the young Shi Tianzhu and asked Ning Su, “Didn’t Shi Tianzhu tell you why Yongming and Yinhua are hostile to each other?”
Two tigers could not share one mountain.
The Gu Witch and the Human Pupa Master didn’t like Shi Tianzhu in the first place, and the friction and conflicts between the two guilds in the dungeon over the years led to the current state of hostility.
Ning Su had always thought this was the reason.
Black-clothed Azan smiled and said, “So, you don’t know how you were exposed.”
Ning Su: “?”
Black-clothed Azan directed his gaze at the young Shi Tianzhu, his eyes dark and obscure.
Ning Su’s hair stood on end immediately.
A terrifying suspicion arose in his mind.
Could the initial conflict between these two major guilds be because Black-clothed Azan’s love for Shi Tianzhu had turned to hatred?
So, when Black-clothed Azan learned about the “two selves” scenario, he instantly recognized the young Shi Tianzhu, even though she had dirt smeared all over her face.
Would one recognize the person they once loved and hated, even if they turned to ash?
Ning Su: “...”
If that’s the case, did Ning Changfeng know?
Was Ning Changfeng targeting Black-clothed Azan in the individual competition because of this...?
Ning Su’s cheeks puffed slightly as he stared intently at Black-clothed Azan.
If that’s the case, he definitely couldn’t let young Shi Tianzhu fall into the hands of Black-clothed Azan.
Black-clothed Azan said, “If I kill this young Shi Tianzhu, the adult Shi Tianzhu will die too, right?”
Ning Su: “What do you want?”
Black-clothed Azan: “Have your other self lead the zombies to come back with us and attack the human base.”
Ning Su: “I told you, he’s not the Zombie King.”
Black-clothed Azan: “Whether he is or isn’t, he can control the zombies better than you, making us trust him more because he’s a true zombie, and you’re a fake.”
Ning Su: “...”
Ning Su could only agree: “You have to ensure young Shi Tianzhu is always in my sight.”
Black-clothed Azan: “Deal.”
The other Ning Su: “I refuse.”
He continued squatting and eating instant noodles.
Ning Su: “...”
The few people from the Yongming Guild did nothing, just watching Ning Su handle it. This was the exchange condition.
They figured it wouldn’t be that simple; if it were simple, why use Shi Tianzhu as a bargaining chip? They would have just killed her directly.
Ning Su walked up to another version of himself and squatted down to watch him eat instant noodles.
Two identical boys, head to head, stared at the instant noodles.
Ning Su: “These instant noodles are so bland.”
“How can you eat instant noodles without a sausage? It’s so pitiful.”
The other Ning Su: “...”
Ning Su: “Besides instant noodles, adding canned luncheon meat would be delicious too, and some spicy little fish on top.”
As Ning Su spoke, he took things out but then annoyingly put them back, as if just to show off.
The other Ning Su: “...”
“Oh, right, how about a cup of taro milk tea with some spicy strips?”
The other Ning Su: “...”
Ning Su asked: “Ready to go?”
The other Ning Su: “…Yes.”
“?”
[?]
Ning Su took the other version of himself by the hand and walked back.
He said to Black-clothed Azan, “Don’t worry, he will obey. If he doesn’t, you can kill me and he will die too.”
“You also need to let us see Shi Tianzhu at all times, or it’s all over.”
Black-clothed Azan glanced at the two Ning Sus, then looked at the dense crowd of zombies here and the few factories not far away. He changed his mind.
“Since the zombies like to gather here, we’ll stay here,” he said. “The prison can’t hold so many zombies, and they might not stay. We’ll set up the zombie base in these factories.”
Ning Su naturally had no right to have an opinion.
Black-clothed Azan sent someone back to notify and bring the base members over.
They started walking towards the nearby factories.
Two children followed Ning Su dejectedly.
Manman said, “Mom, I’m sorry. I said I would protect her.”
Gui Sheng also said in a frail voice, “I’m sorry!”
Ning Su comforted them, “This is not your fault. Don’t blame yourselves. Let’s find a solution together.”
After Ning Su finished speaking, he noticed that another version of himself was looking at him with an indescribable expression. “Mom?”
The other Ning Su’s gaze fell on Ning Su’s belly, then he touched his own belly. “Who’s the dad?”
Ning Su: “...”
Ning Su: “…………”
Stop touching. You certainly won’t get pregnant. You don’t have that function, and no one has that capability.
Ning Su pulled over the two children. “Let me introduce you. This is our daughter, Ah Fei.”
“And this is our son, Gui Sheng, the cutest kid in Huaiyang Village.”
The other Ning Su: “...”
The two children’s eyes sparkled as they looked at him, full of pure affection and admiration. They even came over to tug at his clothes and pants.
The other Ning Su was stunned for a moment, then awkwardly turned his head. “What a hassle. Raising two kids and still having to fight for that little girl.”
Ning Su pulled him along to carry the lingxiao vine, and seeing that no one was around, he whispered in his ear so only he could hear, “What little girl? That’s our mom.”
The other Ning Su: “?”
The other Ning Su: “???”
Thanks for the update!! 🤯🤯🙃
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