Main Quest (Day 5)
Today, it indeed did not rain.
Early in the morning, Mu Shan got up. The first thing she did was check her card album as usual.
【Environment Card: Zombie-Filled Classroom】
【Item Card: A Bloodstained Little Axe】
【Character Card: A Zombie Transformed from a Player】
The cards drawn today were full of the Main God System’s mocking intent.
She currently had two of each type of card. Mu Shan steadied her mind, packed her gear, and headed out.
Since she did not know how long they would be out today, she specially brought enough food and water. She stuffed all the tools harvested yesterday into her backpack as well.
She shoveled some soil and turf to camouflage the two entrances to the safe house, then hurried toward the rendezvous point.
The sky was still early, and a few zombies wandered slowly on the road. To save ammunition for the peashooter, Mu Shan did not attack.
In the damp, cold air, she wore a fur vest and a tactical jacket, hands in her pockets as she waited by the roadside. She looked just like she used to waiting for a taxi in the past.
The Viking battle axe was inserted into a side pocket of her backpack, gleaming brightly.
Hidden under the oversized tactical jacket, Mu Shan had an outdoor multi-tool knife and a magnesium fire starter on her belt, and a little fruit knife tucked into her boot.
Around 7:29, the sound of a car engine broke the silence. Two headlights beamed straight toward her, dispersing the gray fog.
From afar, Mu Shan saw a brown minibus drive up and stop steadily in front of her.
The old driver, cigarette in his mouth, nodded to her from the driver’s seat. “Get in. Let’s go.”
There were already three people in the car.
Mu Shan glanced indifferently. A masked man sat in the passenger seat, and two sat in the back.
【Ordinary Player 421091
ID: Cao Cheng
Profession: Brick Expert】
In the back row, a tall, skinny man with long hair tied in a braid gestured to her. “Take a seat, little sister. This Coaster was originally 23 seats, but the old driver forcibly modified it to 5 seats. Perfect for us.”
【Elite Player 396666
ID: Shu Yongzhi
Profession: Re-employment Fortune Teller】
Mu Shan sized up the minibus interior. There was not much to look at.
Besides the driver’s seat and passenger seat, only one row of three seats remained. The rest had been removed, and the floor held two small carts and some ropes.
This was a cargo van disguised as a minibus.
The last man was the burliest. He originally occupied a seat and a half by himself. When he saw Mu Shan approach, he reluctantly shifted his butt.
【Ordinary Player 544414
ID: Wang Wei
Profession: Porter】
The long-haired man subtly scanned Mu Shan. Upon seeing her obviously mismatched dirty pants, he said, “Little sister, you’re still a newbie, right? How many days have you been in the game?”
Mu Shan held up five fingers.
The other man exclaimed exaggeratedly. “Damn, newcomers are this competitive now? The Yangtze’s later waves pushing the former ones. What was I doing on day five? Seems like I was still digging through trash heaps.”
The old driver, biting his cigarette, said flatly, “What’s so special? When I met her, it was only her second day, and she already had a profession. These days, if you don’t compete a bit, you can’t survive.”
Cao Cheng in the passenger seat said nothing but nodded in agreement.
The burly Wang Wei looked at the skinny girl sitting beside him and curled his lip. “What’s your profession’s positioning?”
Mu Shan said firmly, “Support.”
Wang Wei flexed his wrists and began wiping his knife again. “My words might sound harsh, but I have to say it upfront. Since we’re teaming up to find supplies, and the old driver keeps recommending you, it means we trust your abilities. You can’t hold us back.”
He proudly showed off his exaggerated biceps. “My profession is porter, 40 strength. Once we find the supplies, I can handle them alone. Even small waves of zombies can’t touch me.”
Mu Shan looked at his arms, thicker than her thighs, and nodded enviously.
Shu Yongzhi leaned over and pointed at himself. “Don’t worry, big sister. This Poor Daoist divined the hexagrams before setting out. We’ll turn danger into safety on this trip.”
“Right, I’m barely considered melee.”
He pointed at the masked man in the passenger seat. “Cao Cheng’s profession means he usually can’t speak. Just know he’s support too.”
Mu Shan saw the old driver floor the accelerator toward the suburbs and could not help asking, “Where are we going?”
Feng Wei replied, “Building Materials City. But I only know the general direction. Once we’re close, it’ll be up to you.”
“No problem.” Mu Shan gave an OK sign.
Shu Yongzhi leaned over again, interested. “The old driver said you can sense the type of supplies and their general location?”
“Indeed, but I can only barely distinguish based on composition. I can’t tell clothes from pants.” Otherwise, she would not still be wearing those dirty, discolored lounge pants.
“That’s enough.” Shu Yongzhi nodded with a squinty smile. “As a meet-and-greet gift, This Poor Daoist will give you some basic knowledge for free.”
“There will be continuous rain in the next ten days of the instance. It might even turn into a flood disaster. We’re heading to Building Materials City for waterproof materials.”
Shu Yongzhi held out his left hand. “For example, I have 10 bricks on hand. Upgrading the sunroom requires 200 gold, but if I have 100 bricks, the system integration only needs 20 gold.”
Mu Shan’s eyes widened. “So gathering more building materials can save money to a certain extent!”
“Bingo!”
This followed the same logic as when she had two axes; the system automatically upgraded one.
The porter sitting beside him impatiently dug in his ear. “Alright, why talk about useless stuff? Newbies learn to be smart after a few more fights!”
Shu Yongzhi said, “Yes, yes, you’re the smartest…”
Wang Wei poked him. “Fortune teller, do you have any more of those yellow talismans you sold me last time? A few more.”
“This Poor Daoist’s time is precious. How could I have time to draw talismans?”
Shu Yongzhi glanced at him. “How much are you offering?”
The porter pulled a kaleidoscope-like item from his pocket. The fortune teller took it, peered into it, and pocketed it without a word.
“I’ll give it back later. Not now. What type do you want?”
Wang Wei said, “Strength boost.”
Shu Yongzhi’s face showed shock. “Boost more? Your strength is already 40. I think you should boost your brain instead!”
Mu Shan glanced lightly at the porter. Surprisingly, the burly man did not get angry.
Wang Wei looked confident. “What’s the mind for? A real man needs infinite strength! Once I can lift a car with one hand, I won’t fear zombie tides.”
Shu Yongzhi: …
Mu Shan: … Pretty persistent.
The brick expert glanced at the porter through the rearview mirror. Unable to speak, he wore a constipated expression.
The old driver burst out laughing. “You musclehead idiot. Among the Main God System’s strongest players now, who do you see as a single-celled brute?”
Wang Wei snorted and ignored him.
The fortune teller pondered. “The game’s strongest player… The first batch who entered back then are pretty much all dead, right?”
“Player numbers restarted cycling after five digits. The surviving four-digit player numbers are all advanced powerhouses. Circus Clown, Third Person, Zhu Nuo…”
The old driver turned the wheel casually. “But I think it’s Third Person.”
“Rumor has it he cleared a super-intellect instance with 98% death rate, bringing his whole team through unscathed.”
Mu Shan perked up her ears. She liked hearing about veteran players.
Shu Yongzhi waved it off. “Nah, This Poor Daoist thinks it’s Dream Faller.”
“Third Person is just strong because of his team. He’s the captain, but his personal combat ability is average. He’s only good at puzzle-solving types. In pure melee or brawls, he might not even match our porter Wei-ge, right Wei-ge?”
The porter used for teasing looked upset, like a fat, aggrieved package. Gone was his earlier arrogant demeanor.
Mu Shan turned her head to stifle a laugh.
The fortune teller sighed, showing a traumatized expression. “But Dream Faller… You absolutely do not want to meet him.”
“Many suspect he’s not even human anymore. That guy’s terrifying in 360 degrees with no blind spots. I encountered him once in my last instance.”
“That was just a deranged lunatic who’d lost his mind.”
Wang Wei interjected, “I’ve heard of him. Seems he hunts people across the whole instance. Even monsters give him a wide berth.”
The old driver floored it, smashing a lunging zombie, and said flatly, “Anyone who survives in this game isn’t exactly normal.”
The minibus fell silent.
After a while, Shu Yongzhi somehow produced a cylinder of lots. “Come on, little sister. This Poor Daoist will divine your marriage for free.”
Mu Shan did not know how the topic had awkwardly shifted to her, but thinking of that 500,000-gold “love,” she nodded.
The fortune teller took the bamboo lot she drew and peered at it with a smile. “Let me see who holds the other end of your red thread.”
He looked at the inscription, and his expression gradually stiffened.
He reached out. “Draw another.”
“Another.”
“I don’t believe it. Draw again!”
In the end, he even reached into the cylinder himself, rummaged for a while, pulled out a “superior lot,” and shoved it into her hand.
Mu Shan was speechless.
“…What’s wrong?”
Was there a problem with her 500,000 gold?
Shu Yongzhi looked at her pityingly. The inscription said the other end was not necessarily the same personality morning and night, nor the same character yesterday and tomorrow. Good and evil followed mood. He might be neutral and just, or disregard ethics, ignore life and death.
Sometimes, perhaps not even human.
What was that, a monster?
He was wondering how to break it.
Just then, the brick expert in the passenger seat suddenly spoke. “Shh.”
The old driver slammed the brakes.
Everyone held their breath, instantly silent.
It was nearing 8 o’clock, and the sky had brightened.
In the center of the black asphalt road stood a sedan with its door wide open, blocking the way. A dense horde of zombies gathered around it—at least forty or fifty.
The dark mass of zombie heads crowded together in the sunlight, jostling and snatching, tearing at the corpse inside the car.
Bloody organs and guts occasionally flew into the air, fought over by pairs of pitch-black hands.
The scene was truly bloody and shocking.
With so many zombies, even the porter who had boasted earlier shut up.
The road was completely blocked. Without a word, the old driver quietly reversed, preparing to detour.
At that moment, a sharp buzzing sound came from somewhere, piercing their eardrums. Everyone in the car instinctively clutched their heads.
In the next instant, the zombie horde around the sedan whipped their heads back and turned as one toward the minibus.