Main Quest (Day 2)
She slept better than expected, and the fatigue in her body had recovered.
The safe house always carried a faint earthy smell, and the air felt slightly cool.
Mu Shan washed up simply with cold water, feeling her exposed skin tighten. She rubbed her arms and patted her face hard.
Clothes, food, housing, transportation—she had none of it. But she could endure.
The peas planted in the paper cups showed no signs of sprouting after a night.
【One Green Pea (Consumable)
Quality: Excellent
Description: Not the pea from the Princess and the Pea
Usage: Eat it, or plant it in soil】
Mu Shan checked the soil moisture and decided not to water them again.
In this disastrous world, any food she could obtain would surely be processed goods. She could hold out for a short time, but in the long run, she would develop health issues from lacking various trace elements.
Mu Shan stared blankly at the paper cups.
If these peas could sprout, grow up, and produce a plate of beans to eat, that wouldn’t be bad.
She summoned the Card Album from the 【Hoarding Addiction I】 skill in the Main God System.
In the [Environment Cards] row, there were now two cards. Besides the [An Empty Office] she had drawn yesterday, a new one had appeared today: [A Zombie-Filled Bus].
Mu Shan: …She really couldn’t think of any use for them.
The [Item Cards] section had only one new card now after consuming the pea: [One Zombie Serum Tube].
Most serums required low-temperature refrigeration, so Mu Shan did not materialize the card.
Though she wasn’t sure if this serum could block or treat the zombie virus, it was better than nothing.
The [Character Cards] also had two: [A Scrawny Zombie] and [A Tall Zombie].
The number of monsters in this instance was simply too great. Mu Shan felt that even if she drew until she died, she would only collect a full set of “tall, short, fat, and thin zombies.”
At 8 a.m., she put on her helmet, gloves, and mask, fully armed herself, and picked up the axe.
Today, Mu Shan planned to follow the streets farther out to search for supplies.
The shops near the park held little value, and she hacked three zombies to death along the way—ones trapped indoors.
At a bank branch, she found a intact water dispenser x1 (with two barrels of water) in the lobby. The gold bars and coins in the display cases had been looted by rioters, but the locks on the small compartments remained intact.
Mu Shan glanced at them and directly hefted her axe to smash the door.
With a “clang,” she broke in. Sure enough, the small room was piled with many boxes!
Bank branches usually had an internal mini-warehouse stocked with prepaid gifts for customers, given based on deposit amounts, so most items were practical.
Mu Shan successfully found a 10kg bag of crab field rice, five boxes of six-pack miscellaneous grain gift sets (red beans, millet, black beans, etc.), 10 unopened packs of tissue paper (8 packs per bundle), a nonstick frying pan, and four plastic basins in large, medium, and small sizes.
In the corner, high-priced items like bicycles, roller skates, scented candles, beauty devices, and Bluetooth speakers had become things no one wanted now.
Before leaving, Mu Shan even pulled out a small bag of nail clippers from under a promotional poster—printed with the bank’s logo, at least 50 of them.
Thanks to the 【Trash Sorting】 skill, her virtual backpack still had plenty of space.
But to avoid drawing attention, Mu Shan deliberately pulled out a canvas bag, stuffed some sundries into it, and slung it over her shoulder.
She walked alone down the ruined streets, sometimes ducking into buildings, sometimes crouching low to advance.
Corpses of humans occasionally lay by the roadside—some horrific remains gnawed to half by zombies, others intact with clearly man-made fatal wounds.
These hellish, bizarre scenes could drive a person from peaceful times insane.
But the dry rations she had just found gave her confidence. Mu Shan gripped the fire axe, now stained with zombie blood, and continued forward.
She was rummaging through a hardware store, having just dug a hand saw from a pile of messy trash, when she suddenly heard gunfire from afar.
“Bang—”
The unsilenced gunshot was deafening.
The silent streets grew even quieter after the shot. But soon, rustling sounds came from a distant intersection—like a mountain of insects crawling together, growing louder and louder.
Mu Shan was shocked to discover that the remaining survival time above her head, which had been ten full minutes earlier, had instantly been cut in half and was still dropping at an alarming speed.
【Instance Remaining Survival Time: 5 min 2 sec】
【3 min 21 sec】
【00:52】
In just two seconds, as Mu Shan ran from the hardware store to the sidewalk, the survival countdown had plunged below one minute.
This was the first time she faced such an urgent situation.
Fifty seconds wasn’t even enough to find a bicycle and ride away. Mu Shan sprinted forward at full speed, buying one or two seconds, while rapidly thinking.
The shops along the street were too small to hide in, and most doors had been smashed, offering no safety.
She scanned the distance and spotted her target.
It was a chain budget hotel, with a row of iron railings and concrete walls on the outside!
When facing death, human potential could erupt to its limits. Mu Shan forgot pain and fatigue; she only ran toward the target at breakneck speed.
Her hair whipped messily behind her. In her peripheral vision, she saw people sprinting from all directions toward the same goal.
Her breathing was as ragged as torn bellows, her muscles screaming at their limits, her legs barely lifting. But every cell in her body fought to keep her alive.
As the hotel entrance drew near, Mu Shan leaped forward, tumbling into the iron gate.
Two men entered just before and after her. The three said nothing, immediately turning to slam the heavy left and right iron gates shut together!
Mu Shan’s eyes fixed only on the iron gate before her, her hands pushing with all her strength. She had no time to investigate the approaching “rumble” from not far away.
“Hurry, 10 seconds left!” one man roared hoarsely. He had already closed half the gate and was reaching down to secure the ground bolt.
“Wait! Save me—!”
“Let me in! Please!”
A girl in a student uniform stumbled toward them, tears streaming down her face. She was only three or five steps from the gate, but by then Mu Shan had seen what chased them.
The male player who had spoken had already turned and run into the hotel lobby at first sight.
—It was a mass of zombies trampling each other, forming a single enormous unidentified creature, surging forward as one. Crawling on the ground might be hands, feet, or any body part. That “rumbling” buzz was the chorus of dozens of zombies howling together.
The instant she saw it clearly, Mu Shan’s hairs stood on end.
By now, the girl had reached the gate. “Hurry!” The older male player yanked her inside; the countdown showed 【00:08】.
Mu Shan acted swiftly. As the two entered, she kicked the heavy iron gate with a “clang”—a massive boom.
【00:06】
She slammed down the bolt while the other two lifted the solid iron crossbar.
In the final seconds, the three dashed into the hotel lobby and shut the glass doors. The male player even “whooshed” the blackout curtains closed.
Almost the next instant, “bang bang bang”—countless hands pounded the iron gate outside.
“Roar—roar! Grr, grr…”
“Aaah!”
The zombies’ chaotic howls and the screech of nails on iron sounded like a dirge right in their ears—one step away from hell.
In the dimly lit hotel lobby, no one dared speak.
Mu Shan half-crouched on the ground; she found her arms trembling from exhaustion.
She looked up; the four players wore varied expressions.
The female student had collapsed to the floor, tears soaking her face, body shaking.
When she looked over, a simple system info panel appeared above the other’s head.
【Cannon Fodder Player No. 627361
ID: Qin Chuchu
Profession: None】
A cannon fodder newbie just like her.
The two male players fared better. The older one looked calm, gripping a crowbar-like weapon.
【Ordinary Player No. 327441
ID: Feng Wei
Profession: Old Driver】
The other man held a weapon too, but Mu Shan noticed his teeth chattering, cold sweat drenching his plump face.
【Ordinary Player No. 410021
ID: Zhang Ye
Profession: Real Estate Agent】
【You are not their friend; cannot view more information】
Mu Shan lowered her head. It seemed professions were highly unlocked among players.
After some unknown time, the zombie noises at the door gradually faded—they must have been moving away.
The blood-red survival time above their heads began ticking up bit by bit. Everyone sighed in relief, gradually relaxing their tense bodies. But no one dared open the blackout curtains.
Qin Chuchu turned around, clasped her hands, and kept softly thanking Mu Shan and Feng Wei.
“Thank you, thank you for saving me…”
Mu Shan waved it off without speaking.
Feng Wei lowered his voice, coolly saying, “Should be no danger now. At most 20 minutes, and the zombie tide will fully leave the area. Stay quiet in the meantime.”
Qin Chuchu nodded tearfully.
The plump man muttered lowly, “Fuck, who the hell is suicidal enough to fire a gun in the city center.”
No one responded.
Seeing Mu Shan as the only other girl present, Qin Chuchu scooted closer. She pulled a pack of egg rolls from her schoolbag and offered two.
“Want some?”
Mu Shan was a bit surprised but took them and pocketed them.
Seeing her amenable, Qin Chuchu whispered, “Sister, do you know what this place is? Are these zombies real? How do we get back?”
Mu Shan wasn’t sure if this schoolgirl was truly naive or just playing dumb, so she whispered back that she was also a newbie who had just entered, knowing little more than her.
The other fell silent in disappointment.
Then, Zhang Ye approached with a greasy smile, cozying up.
“Little sis, first day in the game?”
In no time, they were calling each other brother and sister. Zhang Ye offered to “carry the newbie,” and Qin Chuchu showed no unease, full of gratitude.
Even Mu Shan sensed something off in this development. She wanted to warn the schoolgirl, but the two chatted amiably.
Mu Shan glanced back; Feng Wei sat silently in the corner, cleaning rust from his weapon. She shut her mouth too.
After another ten-plus minutes, Zhang Ye peeked through the curtain and turned back. “It’s safe now. We’re heading to the nearest supermarket for food. Old Driver, you in?”
Feng Wei waved him off without turning. “Nah, not going to the supermarket.”
Zhang Ye said nothing—old players had their tacit understandings. As he left, he glanced at Mu Shan. “You’re a newbie too, right? Want to join our team? We’ve got several big shots leading; high survival rate.”
Mu Shan politely declined. “Thanks, but no need.”
She coughed delicately twice, her face pale. The other immediately looked disgusted.
She wore grubby loungewear, with cardboard strapped to her arms, looking sickly. This ragged, resourceless appearance screamed fresh newbie.
The two soon left the hotel. Mu Shan eyed their direction. From the 【Hoarding Addiction II】 skill feedback, that supermarket had no food.
In the lobby, Feng Wei repacked his gear and weapon. He rummaged the hotel front desk, found a first-aid kit, and swiftly stowed it in his backpack.
Mu Shan saw his move. “Big bro, can I ask you some questions?”
Feng Wei lifted his droopy eyelids, his stubbled face weary. “Newbie, huh. What day?”
“Day two.”
He nodded. “Unlocking a profession on day two—impressive.”
With that, Feng Wei seemed to lose interest in talking, grabbing his crowbar to head the way Zhang Ye had gone.
Mu Shan thought it over and blocked him. “Nothing useful that way. If you’re looking for something, I can point you roughly.”
Feng Wei stopped, reassessing the girl before him.
The eyes hidden under his curly hair looked at her earnestly. Smart people’s deals were that simple.
“I’m looking for metal fittings. What do you want to know?”