Deep Within the Living-Chapter 17: Satisfaction

“Luo... Di?”
The wounded Luo Di, who was supposed to be resting, appeared unexpectedly. The hole in his arm was still visible, crudely disinfected with alcohol. He approached the struggling zombie, his expression almost unreadable.
Dropping to one knee, Luo Di used his left hand to grab the zombie’s foul, sticky hair, pulling its head slightly off the ground. The deformed, rotting face, with its grotesque grimace, came into view. He adjusted the angle of the zombie’s head and body to approximately 32.5 degrees—just right.
With everything in place, Luo Di raised the cleaver in his right hand. Under the moonlit night, his face seemed obscured, as if hidden behind a black mask.
The blade fell.
Slash!
The sound of the blade cutting through air was sharp and piercing.
Crack!
With one strike, the cleaver severed the zombie’s cervical vertebra completely, embedding into the flesh.
Anna, still pinning the zombie down, widened her eyes in astonishment. That kind of strength and precision—just one more strike, and they might manage to decapitate the zombie completely.
At that moment, the silver needle embedded in the zombie’s Fengfu acupoint was forced out as yin energy surged to the surface.
Gao Yuxuan prepared to reinsert the needle, but Luo Di shot him a look, signaling that all he needed to do was help hold the zombie down—no need for another needle.
The second strike came down perfectly along the first cut.
Clang!
The hardening effect produced another metallic collision, but despite the resistance, the blade bit an additional centimeter into the neck.
Sensing death, the zombie began thrashing wildly, black mist pouring from its body. But under the combined efforts of the three, its struggles were futile. The cleaver, raised high again, continued to strike true.
Third strike.
Fourth strike.
Each swing replicated the previous one, hacking deeper into the neck.
Fifth strike!
This time, there was no metallic sound. The thrashing zombie suddenly went still.
The three holding it down noticed the eerie silence. Their gazes slowly moved upward along the zombie’s body. Its darkened neck was now headless.
In the moonlight, Luo Di rose slowly from his kneeling position. The pale crescent moon hung directly above him as he held the zombie’s head aloft, like a declaration of victory—or a trophy on display.
The tension in everyone’s hearts dissolved in that moment. It was finally over.
The class leader, ignoring the filth on her body from holding down the zombie, stood up quickly and gave Luo Di a hearty slap on the back.
“Luo Di, you really pulled through! School PE class may have taught us some basic combat techniques, but those were nothing like this. Have you formally trained in swordsmanship?”
Luo Di, still savoring the cinematic satisfaction of the moment, was jolted back to reality by the question.
“No, I haven’t. I’ve just spent a lot of time chopping vegetables and cooking at home. You’d already pinned it down completely—if I couldn’t even swing a cleaver properly, I’d have no business participating in this exercise.”
The class leader’s attention shifted again. “Cooking, huh~? You’ve mentioned it a few times now. Next time, I definitely want to taste your cooking... But first, get rid of that thing—it’s disgusting!”
Luo Di seemed to only now realize he was still holding the zombie’s head. Instead of tossing it away carelessly, he cautiously placed it on the ground. Then, raising his cleaver once more, he hacked it into four pieces to ensure it couldn’t regenerate.
Boom!
Lightning streaked across the clouds, and heavy rain began to pour, just like earlier in the day. It was almost as if the research facility had precise control over the mountain’s weather, using it to wash away the grime from their bodies.
At the same time, a broadcast echoed from the forested hills:
≮ Simulated anomaly cleared. This exercise is concluded ahead of schedule. Participants, please gather your belongings and descend the mountain promptly. Transportation will take you to the nearest research station for a brief rest, followed by a final summary of the exercise. ≯
Hearing the announcement, the weight on everyone’s hearts finally lifted. They stood under the downpour, letting the rain wash over them.
“Wow! I didn’t expect us to finish early! That means we get an extra day of vacation. Let’s grab our packs from the bedroom and head down for the lab’s praise session. When we get back, I’ll treat everyone to a feast!”
Spurred on by the class leader’s enthusiasm, everyone stretched their tired bodies and returned to the old house to pack their belongings.
Luo Di clutched the wound on his arm. Although it had been disinfected with alcohol, blackened residue still lingered inside. If untreated, it might lead to a serious infection. Yet, still reveling in the thrill of the kill, he felt no pain.
Meanwhile, Gao Yuxuan, walking back to the bedroom, focused on his prosthetic arm. The synthetic skin had been torn away, and he would need to pay for repairs later. Fortunately, the alloy beneath remained undamaged.
Back in the bedroom, the class leader, while appearing to pack her bag, pulled out a medical kit and grabbed Luo Di’s arm.
“Ugh! One of these holes is almost down to the bone. I can’t believe you were still swinging that cleaver. And with all the rainwater that seeped in, we need to disinfect this immediately.”
She poured an entire bottle of iodine over the wound before wrapping it meticulously with a large roll of medical gauze. These basic first-aid techniques were covered in school health courses, but her actions were especially skilled and gentle.
Luo Di couldn’t help but glance at her as she worked on his arm. For once, he didn’t quickly avert his eyes. Instead, he studied her intently, taking in her features with a seriousness he hadn’t shown before.
Her usually neat high ponytail was messy and soaked, and the zombie’s grime stained her skin and clothes. Yet, in this moment, she seemed more radiant and refined than he had ever remembered.
As she cut the gauze, she spoke: “It’s a good thing someone in our group likes drinking. If you hadn’t disinfected this earlier with alcohol, you might’ve had to amputate the arm. Then you’d have to get a prosthetic like Gao.”
Nearby, Gao Yuxuan, who had been packing his bag, flinched at the comment. Turning sharply, he seemed ready to say something when his eyes caught something.
His expression froze as if he’d been turned to stone.
His brain screamed a warning, urging his voice to relay critical information:
“Get down!!”
Swish!
The axe came down.
The sound of bone snapping and flesh tearing echoed through the room.
The class leader instinctively shifted her body slightly upon hearing the warning. A chilling sensation shot through her right shoulder, quickly followed by searing pain.
She turned her head to look.
Anna’s tactical axe had embedded itself deeply into her shoulder, nearly reaching her chest.
Luo Di, his arm freshly bandaged, immediately planted one hand on the ground and launched a kick to Anna’s abdomen. The force of the blow sent her flying into the wall at the far end of the master bedroom. The axe, however, remained lodged in the class leader’s shoulder.
Everyone froze.
The attacker was none other than Anna, the person closest to the class leader in their group.
They couldn’t comprehend why Anna would suddenly attack—or when this transformation had occurred.
Slumped against the bedroom wall, Anna’s gaze fixated on the class leader’s wound. Her lips stretched into a grotesque smile, one completely uncharacteristic of her usual demeanor.
As her mouth twisted into that exaggerated grin, the others could clearly see her curled tongue pressing against the roof of her mouth.
With a sudden, forceful motion, she snapped her tongue downward.
Click!
The disturbing sound of her tongue snapping echoed unnervingly throughout the room.