The scratching at the door continued outside, accompanied by violent banging. Each thud made Chen Xi’s heart leap in terror.
The building was old, with wooden doors of the past. Even though an extra security door had been added outside, it couldn’t withstand the constant pounding. Worse, the noise might attract more zombies.
If it did, she’d be done for.
Thinking this through, Chen Xi steeled herself. She had to deal with the zombie at the door.
Looking around her room, she put on a scratch-resistant jacket, gloves, mask, and hat—wrapping herself up as tightly as possible. She picked up the kitchen knife the original Chen Xi used for cooking and quietly approached the door.
Chen Xi took a deep breath, gripping the knife with her right hand. With her left, she flung open the door and slashed at the zombie. The zombie’s arm, which had been clawing at the door, was severed. It paused briefly, then—seemingly without feeling pain—lunged at her again.
Chen Xi stepped back, tightened her grip on the knife with both hands, and swung hard at the zombie’s head. One strike, and it was done.
The novel was right: only destroying the head could truly eliminate a zombie.
Chen Xi panted, glancing at the fallen zombie. Its face was a bloody mess, and one arm was gone. Judging by its clothing and build, it must have been the elderly neighbor living opposite the original Chen Xi.
The old man’s children weren’t around. He lived alone, often wandering to the nearby park. The original Chen Xi had barely exchanged words with him.
Including Chen Xi, only three households lived on this floor. A couple had moved out years ago, leaving their apartment empty. So now, Chen Xi was the sole resident. For now, the danger had passed.
Although it was only June and not the hottest time of year, Chen Xi worried the rotting zombie corpse might attract other dangers. She forced herself to drag the body to the old man’s balcony, then tossed it down along with its blood-soaked clothes.
Outside, chaos had already erupted. Occasionally, corpses fell from above, so her actions didn’t make much noise.
Next, she locked all the old man’s windows, and grabbed half a bag of rice, three packs of dried noodles, a small bag of apples, and some pickles and chili sauce, bringing them back to her apartment.
Even though zombies couldn’t climb stairs yet, just to be safe, she dragged the old man’s dining table and cabinets into the stairwell to block the path.
Once everything was done, Chen Xi returned to her apartment, closed the door, and let out a long sigh, collapsing onto the sofa.
So intense! One zombie was already this difficult, and although Chen Xi had trained in sparring and combat techniques during her internship, that had been against humans!
Forget it. Don’t think about that now. Quick wash, then sleep!
All night, the constant screams prevented Chen Xi from sleeping well. She had read plenty of apocalypse novels, but facing zombies in reality was unbearable.
By six in the morning, she got up. Using the water she collected last night, she dampened a towel to wipe her face, brushed her teeth with a small cup of water, and then inventoried her food:
Instant noodles: 20 packs
Bread: 10 packs
Biscuits: 12 packs
Self-heating rice: 10 boxes
Self-heating hotpot: 8 boxes
From the old man’s apartment: about 10 kg of rice, 3 packs of dried noodles, and 7 apples. If rationed, this could last about half a month.
As for water: three 18.9 L bottled jugs she bought yesterday, plus most of the water left in the old Chen Xi’s dispenser, plus seven or eight basins of tap water she collected. Conservatively used, it could last a long time.
Chen Xi breathed a sigh of relief. With food and water, she didn’t panic.
Just as she opened a pack of bread for breakfast, the system returned.
【Host, I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which would you like to hear first?】
System 008 asked, sounding a little guilty.
“Bad news first,” Chen Xi said, feeling a sense of foreboding. Could it mean she couldn’t go back…?
【Alright. The bad news is that once the mission is confirmed, it cannot be changed. This means you must complete the mission in this world to return. If you fail, your internship assessment will fail as well…】
System 008’s voice trailed off, obviously anxious.
He was a fresh system, and Chen Xi was his first host. If all went well, once Chen Xi passed her internship and became a full employee, they would remain bound.
Chen Xi had performed excellently during her internship, but with such a massive error now, whether she could complete the mission was uncertain.
Seeing System 008 becoming increasingly forlorn, Chen Xi rubbed her temples and smiled wryly:
“Alright, since it’s like this, I’ll just continue the mission. First survive, then see. Maybe I’ll complete it by accident, haha.”
System 008: comforted.
【By the way, Host, there’s some good news I haven’t told you!】
“What good news…” Chen Xi asked, a little dejected.
008 perked up and continued:
【Because of the system’s operational error, you were placed in Hard Mode. To help you complete the mission, we’re giving you a compensation: a check-in system. You can check in once a day and receive item cards.】
“Huh? A check-in system? Tell me more.” Chen Xi was suddenly alert.
【After activation, you can receive a reward each day by checking in. Rewards will automatically match the world you’re currently in. Continuous check-ins for 7 days, a month, 3 months, 6 months, a year, two years, etc., will generate special item cards.】
008 paused, then excitedly added:
【Host, I checked the reward pool. The item cards are all excellent. With them, completing the mission won’t be a problem!】
Chen Xi grinned. This was a legendary “golden finger”!
Finally, she had some extra assurance. Her hope for completing the mission just increased.
“How do I bind it?”
【Please wait… Check-in system loading… Loading complete. Binding… Binding successful!】
【Host, the system is now bound. You can start checking in today!】
“Check in.”
【Check-in complete!
Today’s reward: Drinking water *5L
Total check-in days: 1】
As soon as the system spoke, a large jug of mineral water appeared before Chen Xi, labeled “XX Spring Water.”
Chen Xi: “…”
Even though water was scarce in the apocalypse, she wasn’t lacking any—she had just bought three massive jugs yesterday!
【Host, it’s fine… You can check again tomorrow.】
Chen Xi sighed, resigned. At least she could survive today. Hopefully tomorrow she’d get a weapon or something.