But the zombies, despite their own fate as food, did not stand on the same side as humans. Humans remained their food. The food chain among the three species was ranked as: Xenomorphs ate zombies and humans – Zombies ate humans – Humans ate Xenomorphs.
It formed a closed loop.
Scientifically speaking, being eaten by other species was the most consistent with the law of conservation of energy, as cannibalism could lead to some undesirable outcomes.
Getting off track, in short, at first glance, this world seemed quite balanced.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. Just by looking at the people who couldn't get enough to eat and weren't properly clothed, one could tell how difficult life was for the people in this world.
The setting of this world was China in the 21st century, a place that Zhuo Nian had once visited. Due to a sudden chemical leak, a group of half-dead zombies appeared. They fed on humans, and once humans were caught or bitten by them, they would turn into their own kind.
Before the disaster, the original female lead of the story, through some prophetic dreams, predicted the impending apocalypse. She made thorough preparations and unexpectedly activated a spiritual spring space, thriving in the post-apocalyptic world. She eventually established a safe zone with a powerful figure from a certain base, jointly defending against external enemies, and became a legend of the apocalypse.
After the storyline began, the supporting female character entered this world. She preemptively bought the jade pendant that would have allowed the original female lead to obtain the spiritual spring space, met the male protagonist before her, and snatched everything that rightfully belonged to the original female lead for herself, achieving a complete reversal of fortune.
Zhuo Nian found it inexplicable.
The system explained: "We originally thought that the female supporting character, by transmigrating and being reborn, would save the world and earn merit points. But whether it was due to redundancy or other reasons, she not only didn't gain more merit points but also caused some undesirable outcomes, so it was restarted." Su Dan Novel Network.
Zhuo Nian was speechless at their opportunistic behavior.
If one only looked at the story introduction, the original female lead's life was inspiring. The counter-attacking female supporting character, by stealing everything from others, was inherently not a good person from the start. How could she possibly gain more merit points?
After finishing the plot, she also familiarized herself with the data of the body she was currently inhabiting.
The original host was also a supporting female character, but more of a cannon fodder. After the apocalypse, she fled with her family. She got separated from them on the way, and to protect herself, she had to sell her body.
After finally reaching a safe base, she learned that her parents and all her family members were dead, and it was related to the subsequent female protagonist. Therefore, she harbored resentment towards her and constantly opposed her.
How could cannon fodder deal with the female protagonist? Her end was naturally not good; she was thrown into a horde of zombies by the male protagonist, who had a protective wife persona.
And then she arrived.
The original host's resentment was quite strong. She felt it and understood that the other party wanted her to help her get revenge and take care of her parents and relatives.
It was all a cliché.
Zhuo Nian quickened her pace. However, the dot on the "map" was still far away. If she had to walk to find people, it might take several days. Flying directly would make the system shout, and she needed to find the original host's relatives, so she suppressed her impatience and patiently headed in the direction the main group had left.
The disaster initially broke out from coastal cities. Later, most of the Xenomorphs also emerged from voids in the sea. The original host's family lived in Modu. After the disaster struck, they left their home and headed northwest with the main group.
Only a few days had passed since they started. Due to constant attacks from zombies and Xenomorphs along the way, many people were left behind. The remaining survivors formed smaller groups, huddling together for warmth.
The original host got separated from her family when the group was attacked by Xenomorphs. According to the plot, her parents and relatives were still with the main group. It wasn't until they were close to reaching the base that, during a large-scale zombie siege, they were used as bait by the pseudo-female protagonist.
They weren't the only ones used as bait; many others were. Using other people's lives to pave their own way, such a morally corrupt female protagonist still wanted to use her to gain merit points. Zhuo Nian really didn't understand how they could be so foolish.
The system seemed to sense her disdain and said somewhat dejectedly, "The original female lead wasn't a good person either. It's just that she saved more people. We originally thought the later one would do better, but we didn't expect..."
They didn't expect they themselves would be the ones to suffer.
Zhuo Nian walked along the highway. Along the way, she encountered many people who had stopped. The main group traveled on the highway. Some people could ride in vehicles, while others followed behind on foot.
This world also seemed to have a setting for supernatural abilities.
It made sense. Even without Xenomorphs, zombies were not something humans could handle. Therefore, in the setting, some people, after being radiated by the leaked substances, did not turn into zombies but gained supernatural abilities.
Although they were still very weak, and the number of people who awakened their abilities was small, it was precisely because they were few that they were precious.
Those ability users not only received more food for themselves, but their relatives could also ride in vehicles with them, making them the objects of everyone's envy.
As Zhuo Nian walked, she pondered how she could help the original host's relatives. Thinking about this, she felt she could impersonate an ability user. This way, she could provide them with shelter and ensure they wouldn't starve to death or be harmed.
She chased for a whole day before finally seeing the main group. Because they had ordinary people with families following behind, the vehicles also drove very slowly. The zombie virus had polluted the entire environment. Drinking unevolved water would also turn people into zombies. Most plants had mutated or withered. Under the scorching sun, in such a difficult environment, the ordinary people following behind were like zombies, shambling along.
If coastal cities hadn't been occupied by zombies and Xenomorphs, many people would have preferred to stay put and wait for the army to rescue them.
Even so, not many people followed the main group. When they first set off, there were about a hundred thousand people. Along the way, many died or ran away, while some joined them. Now there were about a hundred thousand people.
Such a massive group moved at an unbelievably slow pace. As Zhuo Nian caught up, she moved forward and searched the group for her relatives.
Besides her parents, the original host also had an older brother and a twin sister. Her maternal grandparents were from Shu. Her mother had intended to take the family to Shu to seek refuge with her maternal family, but unexpectedly, the journey was much harder than they had imagined, and she died before reaching their destination.
The two elders' bodies were not as strong as the young people's. Zhuo Nian found them near the back of the large group. Her grandmother had suffered heatstroke, and her brother was carrying her on his back while her sister held up an umbrella, providing scant shade from the sun.
Beside them, her parents were supporting her grandfather. The faces of the family members were flushed red from the sun, and their lips were cracked and dry. Zhuo Nian felt the original host's emotions and was filled with sadness.
The original host's sister was particularly fond of beauty and was also very pretty. Now, however, she was covered in dirt and disheveled, her hair messy, and her steps were a bit unsteady.
"Sis!"
She called out. The few people were startled, then looked over.
"Xiao Nian!"