[Dear players, the game has begun. We wish you a successful escape.]
The system prompt faded from Li Yun's vision. He shook his head slightly and stopped questioning why he had been dragged into this nightmare.
"Danger! It's dangerous outside!" The girl's whisper was sharp, panicked. Her eyes darted wildly as she clutched her arms. "My Radar picked it up—there are monsters everywhere!"
The coppery stench of blood filled the corridor. The chubby guy's face twisted. "Isn't that obvious? It's a zombie crisis. Of course it's dangerous."
Li Yun ignored their panic. His eyes swept the hallway. Several corpses lay torn open, viscera spilling, their faces frozen in agony. Clearly, they had been eaten alive.
The girl suddenly raised her hand, trembling. "At the stairwell—two of them. They're… they're eating people."
Li Yun followed her line of sight. Two figures crouched at the far end, their rotting bodies hunched over a pile of corpses, jaws working in sickening rhythm.
"Not monsters. Zombies," Li Yun corrected.
The chubby guy turned to him, voice quivering. "Bro… what do we do now?"
Li Yun didn't bother answering. He gripped the broken chair leg in his hand, then advanced, steps light and measured.
"Bro! Wait for me!" The chubby man's mouth said it, but his body stayed frozen. His legs refused to move. Facing real death, courage evaporated.
Li Yun tuned him out. He pressed himself to the wall, creeping closer. The chewing grew louder. At the stairwell, one zombie jerked its head up, cloudy eyes locking onto him.
Li Yun didn't hesitate. He thrust forward.
Squelch!
The metal rod pierced the creature's eye, driving straight into the brain. The zombie convulsed once, then went limp.
The second one snarled, lunging. Li Yun yanked his rod free, dragging the first corpse into its path. The zombie collided with the body, claws scrabbling uselessly. Li Yun sidestepped, then rammed the rod into its skull with brutal precision.
Another spasm. Silence.
Both corpses slumped to the ground.
Li Yun wiped his hand once on his shirt, then looked back. The chubby guy stood frozen at the doorway, eyes wide.
"Bro… you're a monster." His voice was a whisper of awe. He had watched the entire fight. Less than ten seconds—that was all Li Yun needed to dispatch two nightmares. His movements were too clean, too practiced.
Not just experience. It was the cold decisiveness of someone who had killed before.
Li Yun said nothing. His gaze returned to the bodies—then paused.
"Hm?"
Above the corpses floated two translucent boxes, each the size of a basketball. Faintly glowing, impossible to ignore.
Almost without thinking, Li Yun reached out. The box opened, and text flashed before his eyes:
[Congratulations, player. Obtained: Silenced Pistol (Green Quality).][No weapon equipped. Automatically equipped.]
A weight settled into his left hand. A pistol, matte-black, silencer attached.
[Silenced Pistol: Mechanical firearm. 20-round capacity. Includes silencer. Value: 5000 Resource Coins.]
Li Yun's eyes flickered. "So killing spawns loot, huh?"
"Bro… what's that?"
The chubby guy had finally crept closer, curiosity burning in his eyes. He reached a hand toward the other glowing box.
Li Yun's palm shot out, smacking his hand aside.
"Did you kill it?" His voice was flat.
The chubby guy winced, retracting his hand like a scolded child. "Hehe, you do it, bro. All yours."
Li Yun touched the second box. More notifications appeared.
[Congratulations, player. Obtained: Combat Recovery Potion (Stamina).][Congratulations, player. Obtained: Quick Heal Potion (External Injuries).]
Two support items. Decent. Li Yun pocketed them without hesitation. Sharing? The thought never crossed his mind. He didn't owe these strangers anything.
"Go. Call her over."
The chubby man scampered back. Moments later, he returned with the girl, who tiptoed into the gore-stained corridor, face pale.
"Use your Radar," Li Yun ordered. "Find nearby supply points."
The girl lowered her head, silent. Clearly, she still clung to the illusion that this was a nightmare she might wake from.
Li Yun's voice turned cold. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"I'll only say this once. Cooperate—and maybe escape. Or stay here, and wait for your rescue. Your choice."
The chubby guy jumped in quickly. "Sister, listen to him. Big bro's strong. We follow him, we live."
After a long moment, the girl's resolve cracked. She closed her eyes, then whispered:
"Two supply points on the left… four on the right. But downstairs…" She swallowed. "There are about a hundred zombies. Most trapped inside offices, though. Limited space to move."
Useful intel. Li Yun nodded. "Good."
The chubby guy tried to insert himself again. "Boss, what's the plan? Search first, or clear first?"
"Boss?" Li Yun raised an eyebrow. He didn't answer. Instead, he looked back at the girl. "Can we avoid them?"
"Maybe… I think so," she whispered, uncertain.
"Then I'll test it."
Li Yun pried his rod free of the zombie's skull and started down the stairs.
"Boss—what about me?" the chubby guy hissed from behind.
"Protect her. Stay back."
As he descended, the girl's voice trembled. "Don't… don't go right."
Li Yun paused, turning slightly. "The right side has more supply points."
"I—I know. But I think the left is better." Her voice was small, almost apologetic. "When I scanned earlier… I think I saw a red-quality supply."
Li Yun's eyes narrowed. The system responded immediately:
[Item Quality Rankings: White, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, Red, Rainbow.]
"Red quality…"
Without another word, he changed direction, heading left. Greed? Perhaps. But in this world, strength meant survival.
And survival was the only rule.