Apocalypse: My Companions Are From The 3D District Chapter 8

"Still playing the feigned sleep of the wolf in front, are you?"

Li Pu laughed in anger, kicked the thug's baseball bat clean in half, then spun around and drove a whirlwind-like reverse back kick, his waist and hips working in unison as the blow landed.

The thug and the few behind him were slammed into the wall by Li Pu's strike, the sounds of cracking bricks and snapping bones ringing out.

He grabbed Chun Li, who was right behind him, and started sprinting down the street.

Chun Li's emotions had seesawed wildly since Li Pu ran into those thugs; she had nearly lost her most beloved disciple and her man.

Behind them, stirred by the commotion, the zombies chasing the pair had already swelled into a small horde.

Now Chun Li's mind was a blank slate, her hand held by Li Pu as she ran, her face lit with a blissful, foolish smile of having regained what she'd almost lost: "Where are we going now, my precious little disciple?"

"I don't know. We'll run until we can't anymore, Master."

Author's Note:

Everyone can use coins to snag monthly tickets for free in the Black Market shop on the third tab of the Youth Dream mobile app. Coins earned from check-ins can buy monthly tickets to vote. The daily cap is 3-4 tickets. Monthly tickets are really important to the author, please, please!

Chapter 12: Chun Li's Psychological Issues

The streets were shrouded in gloom, the gray sky and dilapidated buildings casting heavy shadows, mixed with a bitter stench of decay.

The zombies' twisted faces and rotting limbs wobbled through the streets, their eyes brimming with hunger and malice.

Running, Li Pu could clearly see the zombies' decayed flesh and the horrifying exposed bones.

The road reeked of rot and filth, the stench of the zombies assaulting his nose.

He held Chun Li's hand as they ran through the streets, and he could feel this nauseating odor distinctly.

The Dragon of the Furniture City's blessing let Li Pu navigate this already ruined, chaotic city like a fish in water, and with the physique of a Street Fighter world fighter, he encountered no real danger.

Of course, most dangers didn't even get a chance to test his skills before Chun Li, fiercely protective of her disciple, took them out.

The zombies let out low, spine-chilling howls that echoed through the air. Their steps were heavy and irregular, scraping along with a rustling sound.

Dodging the zombies standing dazed ahead, more and more joined the pursuit from behind.

Li Pu and Chun Li were like the head of a snake in a game of Snake, leading the Spore Zombie horde behind them as it grew in number.

They didn't dare stop for a moment, their hands tightly clasped together, feeling each other's warmth and comfort. Their hearts pounded faster with the frantic sprint, sweat dripping from their foreheads.

Chun Li felt no tension at all; she was gleefully led by Li Pu, deftly dodging the zombies' lunging attacks and weaving nimbly through the streets.

It was less that Chun Li was being led by Li Pu and more that Li Pu was like a puppet manipulated and protected by her.

Sometimes she pulled him along to evade a zombie's strike, other times she used her body to shield him, smashing zombies away with her fists and kicks, constantly keeping distance from the horde.

Chun Li was as agile as a leopard, her thick, powerful legs swift and strong, each kick hitting its target like an arrow. She used every muscle in her body, unleashing maximum power and speed, shattering zombie skulls with precise punches and kicks, giving them no chance to counter.

Chun Li felt the warmth in her palm and couldn't bear to let go. She looked back at him, her eyes shining with love and adoration, despite the chaotic roars and groans around them.

Every time she dodged a zombie's attack, she'd sneak a glance at Li Pu's serious, little-adult face, conveying her sweetness with a smile and a look.

Chun Li, who had always been a good girl, was experiencing "eloping" for the first time—and with her beloved disciple.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this happy.

"After I successfully avenged Dad? When I went to save those useless men? Or when I rescued Li Fen and decided to adopt her?" Chun Li was both excited and confused, her mind wandering as she relied on muscle memory to fend off zombies.

She blushed as she glanced at Li Pu's young, adorable face: "Am I some kind of pervert? Is it because I usually don't interact with little boys, so I never noticed?"

"No way, how could I be a pervert? I'm just..." Chun Li silently used her meager knowledge of psychology, her mind replaying memories as she analyzed why she'd become like this.

As a child, she and her father had depended on each other, enduring a childhood that was neither good nor complete.

When her father was killed, it wasn't just grief and hatred—some bridge of security inside her had also collapsed.

Avenging her father and being with her friends and colleagues only filled that inner void temporarily. She always kept her coworkers late, just to avoid being so lonely. Once she got home, coldness and solitude would consume her.

After personally ending her father's killer, endless emptiness invaded her soul again, leaving her like a walking corpse.

To stave off loneliness, she'd unconsciously involve herself in her friends' affairs.

It wasn't until she picked up her eldest disciple, Li Fen, that she began to think about stepping away from the whirlpool of the Street Fighter world.

She had someone to depend on again—that sense of security returned. Playing the role of a parent was a challenge for her back then, but she still found joy in it.

Over a few years, she devoted herself entirely to caring for the deeply traumatized little Li Fen, finally nurturing her into a lively, cheerful young girl.

But once Li Fen stood on her own and lived a sunny life, that emptiness filled her heart again.

"Li Fen... doesn't need me anymore..." The family she'd depended on no longer needed her.

After that, her martial arts school became one of the last places on the block to close. Many young people mistook it for a specialty bar and barged in, only to get thrown out by Chun Li and her female disciples.

If not for the neighbors' advice, she might have made the school the first 24-hour establishment just to escape that emptiness.

Reflecting on it now, Chun Li felt like she was in a story she'd once read: a mother constantly complained about her messy husband and son, but after a few days away, she found they could keep the house clean and live fine without her—and she grew depressed.

The father and son noticed her mood, so they deliberately trashed the house in the following days.

Sure enough, the mother's spirits lifted, and she went back to scolding them while cheerfully tidying up.

Everyone has a need to be needed. But her childhood and the pain of losing her father had unknowingly driven Chun Li's need for this feeling to an obsessive level.

She finally realized, belatedly: "So this is... a need-based personality disorder? The moment I met Little Pu, who needed me, I just naturally fell into it? Even wanting to keep him all to myself?"

"Hah, what a load of crap, I'm not sick! Little Pu is my apprentice!" Chun Li gritted her teeth and kicked a zombie's head to pieces with a vicious crunch.

The childhood copy of The Return of the Condor Heroes that her father had torn up surfaced in her mind again: "Nothing to argue about! I am Xiao Long Nu, and Little Pu has to be Guo'er!"

Li Pu didn't notice this subtle shift in Chun Li. He was urgently searching for an escape route.

They had ventured deeper into the city, arriving at the intersection of two main thoroughfares, where a hospital stood tall.

A few kilometers past the hospital lay the city's central business district, the CBD.

"We can't keep running forward—the plaza will only have more zombies!" Li Pu grabbed Chun Li and dashed toward the hospital entrance.

Chapter 13: Are All the Women in the 3D District Lewd Women?

Li Pu and Chun Li dodged the scattered zombies along the road, slipping past their clawed hands and twisted bodies, leaving a trail of terror and chaos behind them. The zombies let out despairing howls as they were assimilated by the massive Spore Mushroom-headed Corpse Horde.

The Spore Corpse Horde was shrouded in a pale green mist, blindly devouring everything it touched.

"There has to be a way, there has to be a way—I refuse to believe they evolved perfectly," he thought as he and Chun Li rapidly closed in on the hospital.

The pair scrambled again, preparing to cross the congested road to reach the hospital's perimeter.

The road was clogged with parked cars, wrecked vehicles colliding into a chaotic traffic jam. Shards of glass, debris from walls, and scattered zombie limbs and corpses littered the asphalt, turning the area into a "death zone."

The air was thick with dust and the smell of scorched metal. Exploded carburetors had "roasted" zombies still trapped in their cars. Tires were ablaze, emitting acrid fumes and mingling with the zombies' groans. Daylight filtered through the rotting bodies, creating stagnant halos of light.

Thankfully, this barrier of bumper-to-bumper traffic held back the advance of the Spore Zombie Horde.

Shrouded in green spore dust, the horde lost its target and stood still. Whether animal-type or plant-type, all the zombies turned their heads toward the faint sunlight piercing through the clouds.

Only when a few unlucky zombies wandered by did the horde stir briefly, dragging them into the assimilation swarm.

"Photosynthesis? Did the spores inherit plant-zombie traits?" He recalled their earlier pursuit speed. "Looks like both animal and plant characteristics are encoded in this spore's DNA. That's just twisted."

Li Pu didn't dare linger. He pulled his cheap master along and kept running.

Amid the maze of cars, Li Pu and Chun Li saw zombies pounding against windows inside the vehicles. They howled, clawed, reeking of rot and sickly desperation. Car roofs and interiors were often covered in zombies, like exhibits in a morgue or a silent graveyard.

These zombies posed no real threat to the pair—if not for the spore zombies spreading their dust through the air, Li Pu wouldn't have feared them at all.

After threading through the chaotic traffic jam, Li Pu finally got a clear view of the hospital's surroundings.

The hospital's courtyard gate was packed with zombies inside and out.

They writhed together, letting out hoarse roars. Their clothes were tattered, their bodies smeared with blood, thick saliva dripping from their mouths. Their eyes were hollow, devoid of any spark of life, like puppets ruled by death.

The zombies swayed their decaying forms, trying to push closer to the gate. Their arms hung low, nails long and sharp. Every time they tried to charge the gate, they erupted in growls and screams.

The hospital gate had clearly been reinforced, but no other survivors were in sight.

Still, Li Pu cursed under his breath when he saw the crowd at the outer gate.

"A wolf at the door and a tiger at the back! Who knows how long these cars can hold back the spore horde? I'll have to risk going in." He now had absolute confidence in his Street Fighter World Fighter Physique.

Amid the zombies' roars, Li Pu and Chun Li stared intently at the gate. Their hearts pounded wildly. Only by braving this earthly hell could they find a sliver of hope and survival.

Suddenly, Chun Li's arm tensed, and she pulled Li Pu into her embrace.

She smiled faintly: "Leave it to your master."

In an instant, they leaped together. Her body coiled like a spring, then released its power, launching them high into the air.

After landing, Li Pu quickly broke free from Chun Li's warm, soft hold.

He grabbed a pebble from the hospital courtyard and hurled it far beyond the outer gate.

A strong adult male could throw a small stone between 80 and 150 meters at most.

With the boost of a Street Fighter World fighter's physique, Li Pu sent the stone flying nearly a kilometer, embedding it precisely into a car window on the road.

That triggered the car's alarm.

"Beep beep beep! Honk honk honk!"

The deafening noise rang out in the silent city, drawing countless zombies—including the ones at the hospital gate and the spore horde.

Li Pu finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Looks like they're sensitive to sound."

After that, Chun Li forcibly dragged Li Pu to a more concealed spot. The few scattered zombies there were dispatched by the pair as easily as chopping vegetables.

With temporary safety, Li Pu's tense heart finally settled.

Seeing Li Pu crouched on the ground, gasping for air, Chun Li walked over.

A fragrant breeze swept by as she gently stroked his cheek, trying to offer some comfort.

"You're a real man now, you know. You protected your master and lured the zombies away." Chun Li's face was full of tenderness.

Li Pu recalled how he'd been like a little chick sheltered under Chun Li's wing like a mother hen the whole way. He had no words, only an awkward smile in response.

Chun Li let out a soft sigh: "Pull yourself together, Little Pu. Things might not look good from here."

Li Pu looked at Chun Li, whose expression had turned serious, and asked in confusion: "Why?"

"Usually, when facing natural disasters, riots, or sudden emergencies, the authorities and the public turn hospitals into temporary shelters to take in those seeking refuge."

Chun Li, all business and no longer a lewd woman, made Li Pu feel a bit unsettled.

As an elite among elites in the International Police, Chun Li had only placed sixth in shooting at the international marksmanship competition. But with the boost of her Chinese-style exam-cramming bloodline, she ranked first in every other subject.

Even the hacking skills of his senior disciple Li Fen had been personally taught by Chun Li—a decision she now regretted more than anything.

But after taking on Li Pu as her apprentice, she felt at ease.

This old lady is just leveling a new alt!

She cleared her throat lightly, handed the compressed biscuits and bottled water to Li Pu, and said, "The thick walls of a hospital are definitely more durable than those of ordinary residential buildings."

"The problem, though, is that before the zombie outbreak fully erupted, people unaware of the situation would have sent the first infected patients to the hospital."

"Individuals infected by the virus would all come seeking help, and even cases of people biting each other would have started here first." Chun Li furrowed her beautiful brows, analyzing with clear logic.

Li Pu watched her radiate intelligence, utterly unable to connect her with the lewd woman from last night.

"Could it be because she's from the 3D District? So she has both the original character's traits and the 3D District's pervy, lustful disposition?" Li Pu's mind had already wandered off—daydreaming in class, reading weird extracurricular books, and spacing out were his specialties.

But one sentence from Chun Li yanked him back to reality.

"So, the hospital might not only be crawling with hordes of walkers, but Patient Zero and even the Mother Body could very well be holed up here."

Chun Li stared at the revolving doors of the hospital building and murmured, "In other words, we might have run straight into the zombies' stronghold."

"..."

Chapter 14: The 3D District Woman's Special Skill! Armpit Sea Summoning Technique!

The sun, veiled by clouds, and the rising moon hung together in the gray sky.

Li Pu chewed on a compressed biscuit, looked up at the sky, and said, "It's already evening?"