Chi You’s objective was simple—he needed to find a few survivors.
He could skip knocking entirely, break down doors, and check each room directly. But before locating the treasure chest, he couldn’t take that approach.
What he needed were living survivors. If he brought them upstairs before gathering enough people, he would have to spend extra effort protecting them.
Breaking their limbs wasn’t an option either—their shrill screams would only attract more zombies.
Knocking them unconscious was possible, but if he misjudged the force, he might kill them outright.
For now, being a little kinder wouldn’t hurt.
Chi You reached the fifth floor. Compared to the fourth floor, there were slightly fewer zombies here—only two wandering in the corridor.
After dealing with them, he repeated what he had done on the fourth floor. When he knocked on the third door, he sharply caught a faint noise from inside the room.
If it were zombies, there wouldn’t be so little noise.
It sounded more like someone hesitating behind the door, unsure whether to open it.
After all, for a normal person, opening the door to a stranger was a dangerous decision.
“I am a national rescue worker. If there are survivors inside, please open the door immediately. The next search will be conducted in one month.”
After speaking, Chi You didn’t wait and walked straight to the next door. Just as he was about to knock, there was a click, and the door behind him opened.
A faint smile curved on his lips as he turned around.
The one who opened the door was a young woman, around twenty years old. Her hair was messy, dark circles faintly visible under her eyes, and her expression was exhausted.
It looked like she had stayed awake the entire night.
That was normal. Anyone who could sleep peacefully in a situation like this was either someone as capable as Chi You or a complete fool. For ordinary people, insomnia was only natural.
Perhaps because of this, the girl knew that if she didn’t receive rescue, she wouldn’t last much longer. She might as well take a risk.
Chi You’s guess was correct. The girl had been dieting for years, her body already weak. Aside from her Spirit being 11 points, her remaining Three Primary Attributes were poor—her highest, Constitution, was only 5 points, while both Strength and Agility were just 4.
Let alone zombies that had already enhanced their attributes—even the first-day zombies were monsters she had no chance of defeating.
Staying here meant certain death. Taking a risk at least offered a sliver of hope.
Of course, the fact that she dared to open the door also had a lot to do with Chi You’s appearance.
Even as a villain, he wasn’t the type who radiated killing intent, as if the word “villain” were written across his face.
With a little effort, he could conceal all his coldness and give off a refined, gentle impression—highly deceptive.
Otherwise, if he had looked rough and sinister, the girl would never have opened the door.
“Y-you… hello…” the girl said timidly, stumbling over her words.
Chi You spoke in a gentle tone, “Are there any other survivors in your room?”
“N-no… it’s just me,” she replied softly.
“I see. Don’t be afraid. Our people are conducting rescue operations for all survivors.”
“That’s great… I-I’m really saved?”
“Of course. But I still need to search other floors. Please return to your room and wait. Before we leave, I’ll come downstairs to get you. It won’t take long.”
Chi You’s attitude completely reassured her. She followed his instructions, returned to her room, and closed the door.
From across the hall, a man had been watching through his peephole. He had also been hesitating about whether to open the door.
Physically, he was much stronger than the girl. The previous day, he had even taken the risk to hunt zombies. Although it had been difficult, he had managed to kill two.
At first, it seemed like a good start.
But soon after, the zombie horde in the lobby taught him a brutal lesson.
Both of his companions died, leaving him as the only one who managed to escape back to his room, trembling in the corner.
Seeing that the girl was unharmed, and that Chi You didn’t seem like a bad person, the man gritted his teeth. When Chi You knocked on his door, he slowly opened it.
Just like before, Chi You only asked whether there were others in the room, then told him to return inside and wait.
There were two survivors on the fifth floor.
Chi You continued upward, and on the sixth and seventh floors, he found one survivor each.
Of course, it was possible that some people, even after hearing his words, still chose to remain hidden.
Lucky for them.
Four survivors were enough for Chi You’s purposes. Next, he needed to locate the treasure chest.
So much time had passed that he no longer remembered which floor he had found it on in his previous life. He only recalled that it was inside a distinctive restaurant, somewhere around the tenth floor.
He continued clearing his way upward until he reached the ninth floor.
The moment he stepped out of the stairwell, his eyes lit up.
He had finally found it.
Chi You cut down the zombies inside, then scanned his surroundings before heading toward the seafood restaurant on the left.
After walking a few steps in, he immediately spotted it—the Golden Treasure Chest glowing faintly at the end of the corridor leading to private dining rooms.
About 15 meters in front of the chest hung an excessively large crystal chandelier. Its design was unique, brimming with artistic flair.
But if anyone truly believed it was just a chandelier and casually walked over to open the chest, reality would quite literally teach them a lesson—assuming they remained human afterward. That, of course, depended on their luck in reincarnation.
Others might not know, but Chi You was well aware—that was no chandelier.
It was clearly a mimicking Mutated Octopus.
Its attributes weren’t particularly outstanding, but it possessed numerous skills and an extremely strong self-healing ability. Combined with its four massive mutated tentacles, it had caused Chi You endless trouble in his previous life.
There had even been moments when he considered giving up on the treasure chest altogether.
After confirming the chest’s location, Chi You returned downstairs and knocked on the doors of the four survivors he had found.
“My companions have already cleared the upper floors. There are still many zombies in the lobby. Now, please follow me to the rooftop. A helicopter will come to pick us up.”
“Brother, uh… I thought transportation systems had failed. How can a helicopter still work?” the man asked, rubbing his hands nervously.
“This involves certain confidential matters. If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll explain. But right now, the important thing is escaping this place and reaching a safe zone, isn’t it?” Chi You replied with a smile.
“That’s true, that’s true. Let’s go, let’s go.”
“Walk ahead of me. The zombies below haven’t been cleared yet. I’ll cover the rear.”
Hearing this, none of them moved.
No one wanted to walk in front. After all, even if Chi You said the upper floors were cleared, what if something was left behind?
Just as they hesitated, a zombie suddenly rushed up from below. Instantly, all of them bolted upstairs in panic, afraid that even a moment’s delay would get them caught.
Chi You followed silently behind them.
When they reached the ninth floor, a zombie tumbled down from above. Before the four could even react, Chi You drew his long saber and swept it horizontally.
Ice crystals flashed.
In a single strike, all four of their legs were severed cleanly at the roots.