Chapter 361: The Infected
Chapter 361: The Infected
"Not bad at all. That was quite a feat against a zombie."
You Xuan approached the zombie, standing before it.
The surroundings remained shrouded in an eerie gloom, with invisible darkness pressing in from all sides like an impenetrable wall.
But this darkness no longer held any power over You Xuan.
It was now under his control.
He had emerged victorious from the duel, and the power of the Dark Game was surging forth, engulfing the zombie.
"Don't be afraid, it won't hurt... well, probably not," You Xuan added as an afterthought. After all, he himself had never experienced the effects of losing in his Dark Game, and so he couldn't be sure of the exact sensation of being forced into various positions by the game.
"Well, even if it does hurt, it won't be for long," You Xuan said. "I just want to ask a few questions. First, what happened here? How did you end up like this?"
The zombie lay on the ground, its eyes wide open, unblinking, as if it were determined to keep them shut even in death.
Suddenly, its entire body began to convulse violently, twitching like a fish out of water, left to bake in the sun.
Then, its body began to disintegrate and break down, its insides oozing out like pus, until it deflated into a pile of clothes that quickly lost their shape.
"Hmm?"
You Xuan blinked a couple of times.
This wasn't his doing.
While he had indeed activated his Dark Game, it wasn't set to be lethal. This zombie was likely just a minion or perhaps even a victim and not the one responsible for the anomalies in this place.
You Xuan had intended to extract some information from it, and his Dark Game was meant to loosen the zombie's tongue.
But now the source of information had literally vanished into thin air.
Was it that resolute? Had it self-destructed to avoid divulging any information?
You Xuan stood up, a frown creasing his brow.
Perhaps there was some sort of mechanism within its body?
It was possible that it was programmed to self-destruct upon losing to a duelist who wielded dark powers, thereby preventing any sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.
At that moment, the sound of rustling leaves came from behind him again.
You Xuan stood up, his guard still up, and turned around. Silent Magician had also materialized, his staff at the ready, floating cautiously behind You Xuan.
However, the new arrival was not an enemy. In fact, it was someone You Xuan least expected.
She was a blonde woman.
A voluptuous blonde woman with an hourglass figure that was simply breathtaking. Her long, slender legs were accentuated by a pair of black over-the-knee boots, and she stood at the edge of the forest path, her expression a mixture of curiosity and strangeness as she looked at You Xuan.
"Are you... Mai Valentine?" You Xuan asked, a little uncertain.
Mai Valentine, also known as Kujaku Mai, was a legendary duelist from the old days of Duel Monsters. A professional duelist and a regular character in the anime, she was already considered one of the best even during the godly duels of the DM era, despite having no special background or powers.
And she was also close to Joey Wheeler, or so it seemed.
While the anime never explicitly revealed the outcome of their relationship, when Mai Valentine's voice actress got married, the official Yu-Gi-Oh! anime drew a wedding illustration of Mai and Joey to celebrate the occasion.
You Xuan couldn't help but wonder if Mai and Joey had ended up together in this world as well. After all, according to Kei, Joey had been spotted nearby recently, though he hadn't been responding to any attempts at contact.
"Are you a foreign duelist?" Mai asked, eyeing him curiously. She seemed as though she wanted to say something more, but then she looked around at their eerie surroundings and seemed to change her mind.
"Follow me, we can talk as we move."
As there weren't any other leads at the moment, You Xuan didn't hesitate to comply and followed closely behind.
Of course, he didn't forget to pick up the abandoned deck of cards that lay on the ground.
You Xuan trailed behind her, the two of them swiftly navigating through the dark and eerie forest.
"Are you a professional Duelist?"
Mai asked as she led the way, glancing back at him.
"No," You Xuan replied honestly, "I'm a student at Duel Academy."
"Duel Academy... student?"
Mai couldn't help but turn around in surprise.
She had just witnessed You Xuan's duel, and she had to admit that it had left a deep impression on her. While his dueling style was unique, she could tell with her experienced eye that he was exceptionally skilled.
She thought he must be a professional player, and although she sensed that he was holding back, she couldn't discern his true strength from that one duel. Still, she felt that he should at least be among the top players in the professional circuit.
And yet, he claimed to be a student at Duel Academy?
After a moment of silence, she remarked, "Well, you're certainly an extraordinary student."
You Xuan smiled in response, "That's what everyone says."
Mai: ". . ."
In truth, she thought the word "extraordinary" was quite an understatement.
She had encountered similar duelist zombies before, but she had always assumed they were mindless shells driven by instinct.
She never imagined that they could be provoked to the point of cursing; it was truly unexpected.
"What happened to that guy from earlier?" You Xuan asked.
"Infected Duelists have a self-destruct mechanism that is triggered when they lose a duel. However, most methods outside of dueling are ineffective against them."
Mai explained briefly.
"I once saw a guy with a severed head reattach it. They're practically immortal."
You Xuan: ". . ."
This was very reminiscent of the Yu-Gi-Oh! games.
It made sense that only dueling could defeat these immortal zombie-like creatures.
"So, how did he end up like that?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. I was about to ask the same question."
Mai muttered under her breath.
"Suddenly, this whole area turned into this. No one knows how it spread, but most people here have been infected.
If an infected person is an ordinary individual without qualifications, they turn into mindless creatures driven by instinct, like the ones you've probably encountered earlier.
But if they are special in some way, they may become Duelist Infected, like the one we just encountered. Those individuals are far more dangerous and possess the ability to materialize the power of their cards, making them far more destructive and unpredictable.
Those special infected can only be defeated through dueling; any other means, like weapons, are useless against them."
It felt like a virus that specifically targeted Duelists.
"By the way, is Katsuya Jounouchi also here?"
Mai glanced at him, "You know Jounouchi?"
"No, but a friend of mine does. I was asked to come here and look for him."
"Tch, so you're here for him too?" Mai frowned.
"So, he is here?"
"How should I know? I wish I did."
Mai muttered another curse.
"If it weren't for trying to find that idiot, I wouldn't have come to this godforsaken place either."
(End of Chapter)
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