In the dim dormitory, Mo Xiaotian was busy tidying up, while Lin Xuan stood quietly by the window, his consciousness fully immersed in the sudden "prototype system" in his mind.
A translucent deep red panel appeared before Lin Xuan's eyes, visible only to him. The dense text and data on the summon list were enough to drive any mortal struggling in the apocalypse mad.
Lin Xuan noticed that downstairs just now, Chu Wenhai had cleanly dealt with 14 zombies. The "Biomass Points" at the top of the system interface now displayed: 0.14.
He sucked in a breath of cold air. A common zombie only provided 0.01 points? This meant that if he wanted to exchange for the characters and items on the summon list, he would need to start a war against the zombies.
Scanning downward, the system was clearly divided into two extreme factions.
First was the [Human Faction (Black Watch/Marine Corps)]. The long list of military equipment made his heart pound. From basic Marine Corps infantry to Black Watch Soldiers, then to main battle tanks, attack helicopters, fighter jets, and even military units like "aircraft carriers."
What shocked him most was the [Battery Park Headquarters] on the list. For 500,000 points, after reading the system's description, Lin Xuan realized it wasn't just a base; it was an entire military ecosystem. Once he owned it, he would possess the "Red Crown" operational system, meaning he would instantly transform from a student hiding in a dorm to a supreme commander controlling the life and death of the entire city. Even ultimate weapons like nuclear bombs were displayed on the shelves with clear price tags.
"Aircraft carriers... B-2 bombers..." Lin Xuan murmured to himself, his gaze sweeping over "Chu Wenhai," who was currently standing with his back to him, guarding against any movement outside the door. Such an elite, capable of mowing down hordes of zombies alone, was also clearly priced.
Next, Lin Xuan clicked on the category radiating an ominous purple-black aura—[Blacklight Virus Faction] Locked.
If the Human Faction represented order and iron blood, then this place was pure chaos and evolution. Ordinary zombies and Walkers were just the lowest-level cannon fodder. Looking further down, there were Hunters, Hydras, and even Hives that could hatch countless monsters. Each name on the list represented a biological disaster for a city, or even the world.
Lin Xuan saw the options named "Pariah" and "Alex Mercer," followed by a string of zeros that made him dizzy. Five hundred million points? How many lives would have to be slaughtered to fill that chasm?
He exited the system interface and took a deep look at Mo Xiaotian, who was checking the curtain ropes. In the other's eyes, he was perhaps just a "well-connected" young master...
Right now, he was too weak. 0.14 points couldn't even buy a single Marine Corps soldier.
"Lin Xuan... Brother Xuan?" Mo Xiaotian called out to him softly. He was carrying two backpacks and clutching the simple spear Lin Xuan had given him. "I'm ready. Are we leaving now? Will Brother Chu... lead the way?"
Lin Xuan snapped back to reality. "Let's go, Brother Chu," he said, then issued his first formal tactical command to Chu Wenhai in his mind: [Chu Wenhai, lead the way. Target: the first-floor supermarket. Clear any zombies obstructing us along the way.]
Chu Wenhai didn't say a word. He suddenly pulled the charging handle of his rifle, producing a crisp metallic click. With one hand, he pushed open the dormitory door and slipped into the pitch-black corridor like a ghost.
"Follow him closely," Lin Xuan told Mo Xiaotian, while he himself gripped his steel pipe spear and followed behind.
The sensor lights in the corridor had long since gone out, and the air was filled with a suffocating silence. The blue night vision goggles on Chu Wenhai's head traced two eerie trails of light in the darkness.
"Clack, clack."
It was the sound of tactical boots stepping on the corridor tiles.
Suddenly, a low growl came from ahead. A zombie wearing pajamas, its belly ripped open halfway, stumbled out of Room 408.
Chu Wenhai didn't even break his stride. His left hand lightning-fast drew the knife from his thigh. In the moment they crossed paths, the blade precisely pierced through the zombie's lower jaw, penetrating the brain. The zombie went limp without making a sound.
[Ding! Biomass +0.01. Current Balance: 0.15.]
Lin Xuan watched the cold notification flash. There was no pity in his heart, only a morbid sense of calculation. Every fallen zombie, in his eyes now, was no longer a former classmate or teacher, but a coin.
"My god..." Mo Xiaotian watched Chu Wenhai's artistic killing technique. After a moment of discomfort, he was so scared he didn't dare to breathe loudly.
The three of them headed down the stairs. The dormitory building, which originally housed thousands of people, had now turned into a literal meat grinder. The stairwell was covered in blood trails and severed limbs. Occasionally, desperate cries and the sound of fingernails scratching against doors could be heard from behind the closed dormitory rooms.
When they reached the second floor, Chu Wenhai suddenly raised his left hand, making a standard tactical stop signal.
Everyone stopped immediately, and Mo Xiaotian bumped his head into Lin Xuan's back.
"What is it?" Lin Xuan asked in a low voice.
Chu Wenhai's voice sounded exceptionally muffled under his gas mask: "Survivors in the hallway ahead."
Lin Xuan frowned. That was the only path to the first-floor supermarket.
At the corner of the second floor...
It was a group of people driven somewhat frantic by fear and hunger. Wang Peng, the son of a school board director who usually acted like he owned the school, was currently wearing expensive sportswear, though it was stained with blood and filth of unknown origin. He was clutching a water pipe he'd dismantled from somewhere, directing Wu Tao and Zhao Tianyu to frantically pry at a sturdy vending machine.
"Hurry up! Are you two useless trash starving?" Wang Peng cursed in a low voice, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "If you don't get it open before those monsters catch the scent, I'll kick you out to feed the zombies first!"
Behind them, Lin Yutong and Xu Mengya, two "socialites" who used to look down on everyone at school, were now shivering and leaning on each other. Their exquisite makeup had long been ruined by tears, turning their faces into comical palettes.
Seeing their actions, Lin Xuan couldn't help but find it slightly amusing. He gave Chu Wenhai a command within the system: [Go test them out.]
The blue compound eyes of Chu Wenhai's goggles flickered slightly, and his figure vanished instantly. He didn't make a sound, like a blot of ink merging into the darkness.
"Clack—clack—"
The sound of the crowbar hitting metal continued. Wang Peng was bent over, trying to reach his hand into the delivery slot that had been pried open a crack.
"Young... Young Master Wang, I think I heard something..." Xu Mengya reminded him in a small, tearful voice.
"Shut up! Where would a sound come from besides a zombie..." Wang Peng turned back impatiently.
The moment he turned his head, a tall, tower-like black figure was already standing among the five of them without warning. Chu Wenhai had his arms crossed, leaning against the nearby wall. The cold barrel of his black rifle was pointed straight at Wang Peng's forehead. An electronic synthesized voice from under the gas mask let out a bone-chilling laugh:
"Yo, picking locks? You're quite skilled at it."
This sudden voice was like a thunderclap, causing Wu Tao's foot to slip. He crashed directly into the vending machine, making a bit of noise.
"Who?! Who's there!" Wang Peng was scared out of his wits, the water pipe in his hand nearly falling to the floor. When he clearly saw the fully armed soldier radiating the aura of a grim reaper, he froze instantly.
Two blue night vision lenses stared dead at him in the darkness. The hideous silhouette of the gas mask caused Wang Peng's brain to stall.
"Holy... Holy shit! Special forces?!" Wang Peng cried out, his previous arrogance vanishing instantly, replaced by a primal survival instinct. He fell to his knees with a "thud," raising his hands high above his head, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "Officer! Don't shoot! I'm the son of Wang Jianguo, the school board director! We're survivors! We haven't mutated!"
Lin Yutong and Xu Mengya screamed and slumped directly to the ground, looking in terror at this black ghost that seemed to have crawled out of hell.
At this moment, Lin Xuan walked slowly out of the shadows with Mo Xiaotian. Mo Xiaotian straightened his back, glaring at Wang Peng with borrowed authority.
"Yo, isn't this Young Master Wang?" Lin Xuan's tone was flat, yet carried a sense of condescending scrutiny.
Wang Peng was stunned at first upon hearing Lin Xuan's voice, then looked up as if grabbing a lifeline. When he recognized it was just the "poor student" Lin Xuan, the expression on his face was spectacular—ranging from shock and confusion to an unnameable fear.
"Lin... Lin Xuan? How are you..." Wang Peng looked at Lin Xuan, then at the "special forces soldier" who was subservient to him, his mind completely in a mess.
Chu Wenhai snorted coldly and took a sudden step forward. The sound of his tactical boots on the floor was as heavy as a stomp on Wang Peng's heart. He grabbed Wang Peng by the collar, lifting the usually pampered young master like a chick, and shoved the cold rifle silencer directly into Wang Peng's mouth.
"Keep your filthy mouth shut until Mr. Lin allows you to speak." Chu Wenhai's voice was cold, without a trace of warmth.
With the cold metal tube pressed against his upper palate, saliva trickled down the corners of Wang Peng's mouth. His eyes were full of despair and pleading, not daring to utter a single word.
Lin Xuan walked to the half-pried vending machine, looked at the chocolate and energy drinks inside, and turned to Chu Wenhai. "Wenhai, don't be so rude. After all, we're all classmates."
Chu Wenhai tossed him aside, throwing Wang Peng heavily to the ground. Wang Peng clutched his throat and coughed violently, not even daring to look up.
Lin Xuan crouched down, looking at the group of men and women who were once invincible at school.
"Wang Peng, you said... you're the son of the school board director?" Lin Xuan reached out and patted Wang Peng's face, which was distorted by fear. "But in my eyes, your current value isn't even worth a piece of chocolate in this vending machine."
Lin Xuan stood up and looked at the shivering group, his gaze lingering on them for a moment.
"Do you want to live?" he asked softly.