So what if I've turned into a zombie? I'll still be the team favorite!

Tu Sanqi is a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. After being bitten by a low-level zombie while fleeing, she discovers that her wound heals rapidly and that she can understand the speech of mutated creatures. A talking mutated fish reveals that she has been infected but has mutated into a high-level zombie, a status that allows her to retain her human appearance and cognitive functions. Despite this revelation, she is rescued by Ye Ming, the captain of the Fifth Sector's third squad, who scans her and identifies her as human due to her advanced mutation masking her viral signature. She is reunited with her younger brother, Tu Yu, who has become an ability user, and is enrolled in a sector school to learn survival skills and potentially awaken her own abilities.

At school, Tu Sanqi rooms with Yan Shuang, a quiet student who has not yet awakened her ability despite two years of training. Tu Sanqi excels in physical training, displaying speed and strength far beyond her malnourished appearance suggests, though medical exams consistently diagnose her with severe malnutrition and fail to detect any ability markers, leaving her biological status a mystery. Her time at school is marked by conflict with Han Fei, an arrogant fire-type ability user who bullies Yan Shuang. When Han Fei attacks Yan Shuang, Tu Sanqi intervenes physically, fighting him bare-handed. During the altercation, Yan Shuang awakens a water-type ability, defeating Han Fei and earning a spot in the elite training camp, while Tu Sanqi continues her studies.

Tu Sanqi discovers a talent for engineering, collaborating with a shy classmate named Fei Yucheng to modify weapons by infusing them with ability energy. Their experimental test results in a massive fire that breaches the sector's protective net, leading to their transfer to the Engineering Department's training camp. There, they undergo rigorous technical training with the goal of becoming field engineers or technicians. Tu Sanqi views this path as a strategic choice to avoid the dangers of combat while still contributing to the war against zombies, keeping her true nature as a zombie hidden from her peers and superiors.

Months later, Tu Sanqi is assigned to a field mission as a temporary support member for Yan Shuang's squad. The team, led by Leng Xiangge, is tasked with investigating three train carriages that appeared in the desert after a sandstorm. The mission appears low-risk, but Tu Sanqi's engineering instincts kick in when a secondary sandstorm approaches. She quickly reinforces their vehicle and directs the team to shelter. As the storm hits, the team discovers that the train carriages are not empty but are infested with zombies, turning a routine retrieval mission into a life-threatening combat scenario where Tu Sanqi's unique abilities and engineering skills will be tested against the undead horde.