Fatty’s face visibly flushed deep purple.
Seeing his strike fail, the man retreated just like yesterday’s female researcher, shifting into a stance for rapid follow-ups. Thankfully, Ling Mo was keeping watch this time. The moment the man hit a safe distance, Ling Mo pulled the trigger—a single shot pierced straight through his head.
Fatty still hadn’t caught his breath when the man vanished in a flash of white light.
Just then, the other room’s door opened. Xia Xinyan stepped out, freshly composed, glanced at the two of them, and arched a brow. “Problem solved?”
She’d woken when Ling Mo kicked the door in—but unlike Fatty, she hadn’t panicked. Ling Mo wouldn’t get rammed to death by these infected in minutes. She deserved a moment to preserve her dignity. *A definite style point.*
“Mm,” Ling Mo nodded, expression oddly stiff. “The man we saved yesterday… got infected. I just killed him.”
“Hiss…” Fatty clutched his stomach, slowly crouching, voice strained. “Couldn’t you have shot him sooner? And why do they *all* target me?”
The early-morning impact nearly made him vomit.
Thankfully, it was just a game. In real life, he’d need a hospital checkup.
…Right. Status panel existed.
He pulled it up. A long list of debuffs stared back—
【Drowsy】【Hungry】【Minor Organ Damage】
“…Damn.”
“Maybe your bulk makes you an easier target,” Murong Yue said, emerging last with a teasing smirk. “But you’re fine—didn’t even break your defense. Heavyweight advantage paying off.”
Fatty shot her a look, about to retort—when a new notification flashed before them all—
【Bulletin: Rapid Response Team has designated Guangling Building Block A rooftop as rescue point. Operation active for 3 hours.】
【Bulletin: City-wide riots escalated. Military clearance begins in 5 hours.】
【Current Quest: Reach Guangling Building Block A rooftop for extraction.】
Simultaneously, Tianji’s task prompt echoed in Xia Xinyan’s mind—
【Points Task: Eliminate one infected (including self-destruct) → 10 points】
Xia Xinyan’s brow furrowed slightly.
*Ten points per infected? Way too low.*
【Host may persuade original body to clear all city infected. Max reward: 70 million points.】
*…Never mind.*
Seventy million points meant roughly seven million infected. Tempting—but utterly beyond their current strength. *Scrape what we can.*
Fatty eyed the quest uneasily. “Final quest already?”
“Not a bad thing. Sooner done, sooner free,” Murong Yue checked her pistol. “Where’s Guangling Building?”
Xia Xinyan pulled up navigation. “Thirteen kilometers. Manageable.”
“But we’re on foot. Three hours enough?” Ling Mo worried.
“No time to waste. Move.” Murong Yue grabbed her gun and headed for the stairs.
Fatty glanced at Ling Mo and Xia Xinyan, nodded, and followed.
Ling Mo paused, turned to Xia Xinyan. “Uh… my ability improved.”
“Oh? How?” Xia Xinyan smiled faintly.
“This.” He summoned the dagger he’d manifested before. “I can now create… melee weapons.”
His first dagger—SEAL-knife silhouette, pitch black. Up close, intricate mystical patterns traced the blade. *His* touch. He thought it added flair.
What the patterns meant? Zero clue. He’d scribbled them randomly.
Like his first brush with coding: system handed him “Hello, World,” and he tacked “© Reserved” at the end.
*Innovation, sort of.*
Xia Xinyan feigned surprise perfectly. “Wow… impressive! You broke through so fast. I still haven’t figured out my ability… really great.”
Ling Mo swelled with pride. “Hah… no big deal. Just lucky. Believe in yourself—your ability’s amazing too.”
“Mm.” She nodded, smiling.
*Tsk. That smug look screams “I’m awesome.”*
*And that’s not how you comfort people.*
*Idiot.*
*…Eh. Let him bask. Builds confidence.*
“Let’s go—they’re ahead.” She took his hand, pulling him after the others.
Ling Mo froze at the sudden warmth. After a heartbeat’s hesitation, he gently squeezed back.
Still shy.
But you don’t drop your girlfriend’s hand.
…Felt really nice.
Fatty and Murong Yue reached the lobby. Only the outer glass door was locked yesterday—undamaged. Dawn light revealed the streets.
Grim.
Infected swarmed everywhere. Roads were chaos—turmoil never ceased since their hotel escape. Danger level had spiked.
Most unsettling: infected skin now a sickly purplish-brown, bodies bloated like waterlogged corpses. Not full decomposition, but staring too long would wreck your sanity.
“…At this rate, I’d prefer actual zombies,” Fatty grimaced. “More disgusting than zombies.”
“Disgust doesn’t matter,” Murong Yue shrugged. “They just look way more dangerous than yesterday.”
“Final infection stage?” Ling Mo, catching up, speculated. “System said infected self-destruct at final stage, right?”
Fatty paled. “Don’t say that—if they blow, we’ll be splattered in bile and fat!”
“…Ugh. Now *that’s* gross.” Murong Yue visibly shuddered.
Xia Xinyan, calmest of the four, scanned the scene. “Ground route’s too risky. Thirteen kilometers? We can’t gamble.”
Streets were overrun. This wasn’t a musou game. One horde surge—and their team would be wiped.
“So what’s your plan?” Murong Yue tilted her head.
*She wouldn’t mention it without an idea.*
“The sewers.” Xia Xinyan stated flatly. “Navigation app has the city sewer map.”
*Conveniently unrealistic—clearly the game’s nudge.*
“They added *that*?” Fatty’s face twisted. “Sewers… Tsk. Total zombie-game vibes.”
