Stepping into the Louvre area, guards approached, requesting to check belongings to confirm eligibility for entry.
Facing the guard before him, Lin Yi calmly unzipped his backpack.
The leading guard, seeing the backpack full of food, showed a surprised expression. Without conducting a detailed search, he gestured for Lin Yi to enter.
Entering the interior of the Louvre, the overall environment was relatively tidy.
The purpose of each room had been replanned. Although it was no longer a mere museum, compared to the crude tents outside, it was undoubtedly much more spacious and comfortable.
Parts of the area had been converted into storage rooms, barracks, and dining halls, among other functional places.
In the corridors, armed guards patrolled closely.
Looking up, a giant floor map was hanging on the wall.
Strictly speaking, it was actually a sheet with a map drawn on it, marked with many inscriptions and annotations in French.
Lin Yi's gaze quickly scanned the crowd, soon stopping a somewhat sleazy-looking patrolling guard.
"Excuse me, can you help me with something?" Lin Yi asked with a smile.
"I don't—" The sleazy guard was about to refuse but changed his tone instantly when he saw the meat can Lin Yi handed over, "I'm free! What do you need?"
The inside of the Louvre was bustling, and wanting to thoroughly understand all the information was indeed not an easy task.
Rather than blindly exploring on his own, it was better to find someone well-informed to sift and relay useful information.
During the conversation, Lin Yi could clearly feel the guard's dissatisfaction with the current situation through his expression and tone, yet he was helpless to change it.
According to him, refugees were settled in the outer regions of the Louvre, while the lower floors inside housed soldiers and skilled professionals.
The upper floors, however, were exclusive residences for officials and other prominent figures. The living conditions there were excellent, with ample food supply, no work required, and no need to risk their lives by going outside.
The first floor was divided into several different areas, such as a women's court, marketplace, barracks, and living areas.
The second floor stored weapons and supplies and included medical rooms and other essential facilities. Higher floors were for VIPs.
Additionally, there was a group known as the Professionals, specializing in hunting zombies.
"I'm not a Professional. If you want to know more, you can go to Section Six on the second floor to find the Commander. Or you can look for Professor Curie; he used to specialize in vaccine and Professional research, though without much success."
"What is the Commander mainly responsible for?"
"He oversees all Professionals in the camp, plans supply missions, and develops strategies to distract zombies."
"Distraction strategies? What does that mean?"
"He regularly assigns personnel to lure zombies away from the camp and then organizes teams for extermination."
The sleazy guard clicked his tongue, then whispered to Lin Yi, saying that the Commander was extremely cautious with his life, never leaving the camp and spending all his time in the women's court.
"Thank you," Lin Yi smiled at him.
No wonder he chose this informant; he was greedy for small benefits yet provided valuable information, a true "treasure" among chatterboxes.
Watching the guard walk further away, Lin Yi put away his smile.
Analyzing the guard's words, it wasn't hard to conclude that this camp was pretty much rotten to the core.
Ordinary people struggled to survive under the threats of disease, hunger, and zombie infection.
Yet the so-called elite enjoyed all the comforts of life without bearing the responsibilities they should before obtaining those privileges.
It seemed that the camp's plan was simply to wait it out—hoping that zombies would either starve or leave on their own.
Even holding onto a sliver of unrealistic hope that other military forces might send troops for rescue.
At this moment, a clamorous sound of footsteps came from ahead.
A fat man was seen surrounded by many beautiful women, arm in arm, frolicking down the street, followed by a squad of soldiers.
From his triumphant expression, even if he didn't consider himself an Emperor, he certainly saw himself as at least a Prince.
"This place is beyond saving; might as well make the most of it!"
Lin Yi's lips curled into a cold smile as he headed towards the trading area.
"Silencers! Homemade silencers that can save your life in a critical moment! Only a limited stock left! Three bullets for one, you can't find a better deal!"
"Flour! Fresh flour, come over here to buy it!"
"Just two bullets? This is a genuine Rolex!"
As Lin Yi stepped into the trading market, he found it even more bustling than he expected.
Skilled craftsmen were showcasing their skills at stalls, while those scouring for supplies were eager to liquidate their miscellaneous items.
Lin Yi stopped at one stall, with a rough-looking man as the vendor, currently resting with his eyes closed.
"Is that a sword? A system-dropped sword?" Lin Yi pointed to a sword on the stall and asked.
Hearing the inquiry, the vendor slowly opened his eyes.
When he saw the customer was a flamboyantly dressed Easterner, a trace of impatience flashed across his eyes, and he waved his hand as if shooing a fly.
Lin Yi ignored the man's attitude, focusing his attention on the System Sword.
In that instant, information that only a Professional could see appeared before him.
[Basic One-Handed Sword, Level 2]
This sword was slightly stronger than a starter baseball bat and could easily deal with a regular zombie's head with one swing. But be careful when using it, as it's still dangerous enough to harm yourself.
Lin Yi tossed his starter baseball bat onto the stall: "How much more do I need to pay?"
The vendor was visibly taken aback.
He glanced down at the bloodstained end of the bat, then looked up at Lin Yi for a second before averting his gaze, shifting uncomfortably.
"Give me 3... 200 rounds of 5.56 caliber bullets, or 40 pounds of food."
In this camp, food and bullets served as common currency.
Typically, one pound of food equaled five rounds of 5.56 caliber bullets. 9mm bullets were slightly cheaper, with one pound of food exchanging for seven rounds.
"Deal." Lin Yi didn't say much more, taking out some potatoes he had prepared for trade from his bag.
The vendor was taken aback once more.
So straightforward, so understated!
Though an experienced merchant, he rarely encountered someone who could offer 40 pounds of potatoes at once, let alone someone ready to part with an equivalent amount of bullets.
He had sold out all his miscellaneous goods today, and was resting while selling this One-handed Sword, more out of a hopeful whim.
But he never expected...
And the buyer didn't even haggle!
"Here are your six bullets as change." The vendor respectfully handed over the change as Lin Yi carefully inspected the weapon.
"Where did you get these weapons from?"
"Reward Eggs, but the drop rates for these things are getting lower and lower."
Lin Yi looked down at his shoes, which were also items dropped from Reward Eggs, and seemed to have realized something.
"Boss, see if you need this." The vendor pulled an item from his coat.
[Vaccine Bracelet, Level 1]
This bracelet contains a Level 1 vaccine. Once bitten, the vaccine will automatically inject. One dose can resist one bite but is ineffective against zombie levels higher than Level 1.
Remaining doses: 1/4
"How much?" Lin Yi's heart raced upon seeing the bracelet.
This was a life-saving treasure!
"Four pounds of food?" The vendor's tone was a bit uncertain, as the price he quoted was noticeably high.
Lin Yi noted the hint in his expression but had no time to waste here, as the item was crucial.
He circulated around and indeed did not find any stalls selling similar items.
This Vaccine Bracelet was practically a lifeline!
Without it, being bitten once would be the end. But with it, at least one could get bitten twice.
Additionally, the mention of zombie levels in the bracelet's description caught Lin Yi's keen interest.
He recalled the limping zombie he encountered before reaching the Louvre, capable of making high leaps. Surely, its level was well above Level 1.
Once he leveled up, he definitely had to go back and settle the score with it!
As darkness fell, Lin Yi decided to postpone the rest of his plans to the next day. He scanned the trading market for a place to spend the night.
Soon, the inviting Women's Court captured his attention.