Regarding the planned robbery, Yuna Bishop and Noir decided to play it by ear.
They wouldn’t side with the NPCs, nor would they side with the players.
To put it simply, they were fence-sitters.
All Yuna Bishop had to do was ensure her own safety and Noir’s.
Dr.
Hamilton showed no reaction to the players who stubbornly refused to leave, or to the ever-increasing number of them inside and around the clinic.
After just one night, Yuna Bishop had successfully integrated herself into the clinic and was on good terms with everyone.
Including Dr.
Hamilton, the clinic had a total of seven official members, not counting contractors like Yuna Bishop.
Facing hundreds of players, the NPCs were clearly at a disadvantage.
However, this was a world of technology, and the clinic had the great equalizer.
Guns.
The melee weapons in the players’ hands were no match for firearms.
A single exchange would mean death.
But one couldn’t rule out the possibility of some exceptional individuals among the players.
Yuna Bishop paid these matters no mind.
During their break, she and Noir began casing the area.
They scouted the entire area around the clinic, and she even managed to find two bottles of purified alcohol!
Purified alcohol combined with torn cloth bandages could be used to craft a Disinfectant Bandage—something Yuna Bishop had learned while shadowing Dr.
Hamilton.
As for torn cloth bandages, they could be made using hot water, cotton cloth, and scraps of fabric.
Without the recipes for torn cloth bandages or Disinfectant Bandages, it was impossible to craft bandages with any healing effect.
Yuna Bishop planned to keep following Dr.
Hamilton to try and learn the recipes for professional medical bandages and Medical Bullets, too.
‘Come to think of it, now that I have the recipe for torn cloth bandages, I can sell them to other players.’
‘After all, an infection won’t kill you right away, but losing all your Blood Volume definitely will!’
‘Looks like I’ve found another path to riches.’
Besides, the average player wouldn’t think of killing Yuna Bishop, who possessed medical Skills.
Killing other players didn’t drop recipes, after all.
And so, for the next two days, Yuna Bishop remained at the clinic, going nowhere.
She not only gathered enough supplies to trade for the “Eternal Companion” title, but she also successfully stole the recipe for professional medical bandages.
The recipe for professional medical bandages was slightly more complex: it used a Disinfectant Bandage as a base, which then had to be combined with a special herbal juice, purified alcohol, and clean cotton gauze.
Dr.
Yuna Bishop wasn’t short on cotton gauze.
She and Noir had a huge pile of it in their Backpack Grids.
Previously, every time she searched a house, she would completely clean it out of all fabric, firewood, and other materials.
It was just that the herbal juice and purified alcohol were too rare.
She would probably have to go to places like pharmacies, clinics, or hospitals to find them.
‘Or…
maybe a distillery or a hotel.’
Besides Yuna Bishop’s successful apprenticeship, Noir’s recently learned thievery Talent had also progressed.
In three days, despite a mere 5% success rate, Noir had amazingly managed to accumulate three Experience Points!
All from practicing on Yuna Bishop.
Everything was trending in a positive direction.
「That night.」
Yuna Bishop, having just finished her shift, returned to her room with Noir.
The other clinic employees had arranged it for her.
Because of Yuna Bishop’s outstanding performance, the clinic was providing her with room and board.
Noir’s, of course, was not included.
She and Noir sat on the bed, carefully taking stock of their recent haul.
First were the weapons: three hand grenades, twenty-seven pistol bullets, one tear gas canister, and seven burning bottles.
Next, medical supplies: ten bottles of Antibiotics, ten rolls of professional medical bandages, one Level 1 Medical Bullet, six kinds of specialized medication, and one medical kit.
This wasn’t just any medical kit—no matter how many medical supplies she stored inside, it only occupied a single slot in her Backpack Grids!
It was a reward for reaching 50 affinity points with every member of the clinic, presented to Yuna Bishop personally by Dr.
Hamilton at dinner!
But Yuna Bishop’s expenses were also significant; she had traded food, water, and other supplies for all of these items.
Currently, Yuna Bishop’s personal storage space only had 67 bottles of mineral water, a single potato, 15 standard nutrient meals, and 10 berries left.
As for tools and miscellaneous items, she had matches, a hand-crank flashlight, a barbecue grill, a mattress, and a bunch of other odds and ends, including a four-wheeler that had no keys and no gas.
Yuna Bishop had saved up a lot of Mutated Blood.
When the time was right, she would trade it all to Sue Carter in one go.
Beyond that, she had nothing else.
A pitifully small amount.
Still, on the whole, her gains were greater than her losses!
If the players weren’t going to go through with the robbery, Yuna Bishop planned to head to Sylas and trade for the item she wanted.
After taking stock of the items in her Backpack Grids, Yuna Bishop moved a portion of her food and water, along with her only Medical Bullet, into Noir’s inventory space.
It was a way for Noir to save his own life if necessary.
With all that taken care of, Yuna Bishop took Noir to bed.
Her next shift was in four hours, so she had to seize the chance to rest.
The work at the clinic was grueling.
Every day, Yuna Bishop had to help carry patients and move bodies from time to time.
After each shift, an “Extreme Hunger” debuff would appear on Yuna Bishop’s status panel.
Yuna Bishop had tested it; this meant her satiety stat had dropped to just 10 points.
She was on the verge of starving to death.
Thankfully, the clinic provided free meals for staff, even if it was just simple fare like steamed buns and pickled vegetables.
As she drifted off to sleep, time passed quickly.
Midnight arrived.
On the eleventh day of the game, a system notification chimed softly.
[Day 11 of the game.
The instance is one-third complete.
All zombie stats will be increased by 10%.
All players, please be prepared.]
[The game developers wish all players the best of luck.]
Yuna Bishop’s eyelids twitched, but she didn’t wake up.
Not until a gunshot suddenly rang out from outside, so close it sounded as if it had gone off right next to her ear!
Her eyes snapped open.
She quickly moved to the window and cautiously peered outside.
“!!”
Outside the clinic, the sky was aglow with fire.
Something had clearly been splashed across the large open area out front, which was now engulfed in a raging inferno!
Yuna Bishop’s room was on the third floor, its window facing the main entrance, so she could clearly see everything that was happening outside.
Masked players had erected a barricade and were continuously throwing burning bottles at the clinic!
Given the sheer number of burning bottles, Yuna Bishop was certain that at least one player had mastered the recipe!
It was currently shift change at the clinic, the time when there were the fewest patients and the staff was most relaxed.
They had actually used this moment to launch their attack, completely disregarding the lives of the other players inside!
And many of the players inside the clinic were supposed to be on the attackers’ side!
Yuna Bishop quickly drew her pistol, and both she and Noir were on high alert.
Just then,
“BANG—!”
The door to her room was kicked open with a heavy crash!