With Xiao Yang leading the way, the group quickly returned to the office building where they had been staying, riding in the seven-seater business car that Chen Xi had used before.
Once in a safe location, everyone finally exhaled.
Aunt Xu lit the coal stove she and Chen Xi had found at the grocery market and cooked five packs of instant noodles for everyone.
Xiao Yang and the others hadn’t eaten anything warm for nearly half a month, and the smell of the noodles made their mouths water.
After finishing her meal, Chen Xi checked on the male lead. He was still unconscious, and his wounds were worsening; the skin around them had started turning a bluish-gray. Chen Xi had a bad feeling.
“Xiao Ba, the male lead isn’t going to turn into a zombie, is he?”
Xiao Ba was puzzled as well: 【In theory, that shouldn’t be possible. As the male lead, he always overcomes danger, and he is a child of fate—how could he possibly become a zombie?】
“Then what’s going on? At this rate, his entire arm will turn the same color as a zombie.”
【But…】 Xiao Ba tried to argue, but seeing the male lead’s condition, it fell silent.
It compared the male lead’s state to that of ability users infected by the zombie virus in the system and found, horrifically, that if this continued, the male lead could very well become a zombie!
【What do we do? What do we do? The world is falling apart! How could the male lead turn into a zombie? Ahhhhh, what’s happening to this world? It’s over, it’s all over…】
“Stop shouting! The immediate priority is curing the zombie virus,” Chen Xi’s head ached from the system’s panicked voice.
【Right! I remember the female lead’s spatial spring can cure the zombie virus. Quickly go find her…】
【Ahhhhh! Where’s the female lead? Why isn’t she here?!】
Before Chen Xi could reply, the system’s startled voice flustered her even more. She felt that if the system had a physical body, it would have been jumping up and down by now.
“I didn’t see the female lead when I left the mall. I thought she’d be in the office building, but she isn’t here either.”
【Then where did she go? Without her spring, what will we do about the male lead? It’s over, all over…】
Chen Xi rubbed her ears and calmly pulled a light-blue vial of reagent from her space. “Did you forget what I drew this morning?”
008 paused, then realized: 【Oh right, this can cure the zombie virus! Just give it to the male lead.】
Chen Xi sat behind the male lead, gently lifting his upper body to let him lie in her arms, carefully supporting his head as she administered the reagent, then gently laid him back down.
Soon, the bluish-gray color on his arm visibly faded.
Chen Xi exhaled in relief. Although she felt a pang of regret—she had drawn this zombie antidote after nearly a month, originally intending to keep it for herself—she had just given it to the male lead.
Seeing Chen Xi’s reluctance, 008 comforted her: 【Host, it’s fine. You’ll get more draws later. Remember, saving the male lead is equivalent to saving yourself. You can’t catch the wolf if you’re unwilling to sacrifice the lamb.】
Chen Xi couldn’t help but laugh at the system’s strange metaphors.
Whatever, the plot is already collapsing. Who knows what will happen next?
But no matter what, the male lead cannot die.
For the next few days, Chen Xi and the others stayed in the male lead’s office building.
Without a guarantee of absolute safety, Chen Xi still didn’t reveal her space ability.
However, everyone had seen the laser sword that day. She couldn’t claim it was a hallucination, so she told them it was her ability to summon weapons, even pretending the short sword from her space was also conjured.
Xiao Yang was extremely interested and asked if she could summon anything else. Chen Xi said only these two. He tried to ask more, but Aunt Xu pulled him away.
With Chen Xi enhancing their laser sword, collecting supplies became much easier. During the day, she went out with the others to gather resources, and at night they rested on the sofas in the second-floor lounge.
The male lead remained unconscious, but his condition had improved significantly. His wounds were gradually healing, and he would likely wake soon.
Chen Xi had also learned about the female lead: she was in the same team as Xiao Yang at the company. On the day the apocalypse began, she never showed up and hadn’t taken leave. Even when the team leader tried calling, she didn’t answer.
【Host, the female lead seems off.】
Chen Xi: Already noticed.
【I can still detect her alive, but I can’t determine her exact location. I always assumed the male and female leads were together.】
“Alive is enough.”
【Then what do we do?】
“Take it step by step. First, survive.” Chen Xi felt like giving up.
She had been transported to the apocalypse, yet the male and female leads hadn’t even met (ignoring pre-apocalypse office encounters). The male lead was still unconscious, and the female lead’s whereabouts were unknown… she might as well go back to space and read novels.
【Exactly! As long as both leads survive, even if they only HE at eighty, the mission counts as completed.】 008 said confidently.
Chen Xi: …You’re really something.
Apocalypse Day 30
“Xiao Ba, check in!”
【Check-in complete!
Today’s check-in reward: Bicycle ×1
Total check-in days: 30
Monthly check-in reward: Hotel Management System (Upgradeable) ×1】
Hotel Management System!!!
Just like the hotel in the novels? Could it even be upgraded to a big hotel?
【Even better!】 008 was excited—it had envied this item card for a long time.
【This hotel is an upgraded version. It starts as a small inn but can later be upgraded to a small town or even a city, covering various areas and functions. Later stages include restaurants, residential areas, supermarkets…】
Chen Xi didn’t even wait to hear more; the moment she got the hotel, she decided she would find a place to open it after finishing breakfast.
“By the way, what does the bicycle do? It’s probably not just an ordinary bike, right?”
【Correct, Host. This bicycle can repel zombies, and its speed is even faster than a car!】
Great! She would ride it to leave shortly.
After breakfast, Chen Xi redeemed the bicycle and told Aunt Xu she was going out to find a friend.
Aunt Xu was reluctant, but Chen Xi insisted she was worried about her friend, using her acting skills to convince her. Aunt Xu couldn’t stop her and finally agreed, even giving her a pile of food. Chen Xi declined, hopped on the bicycle, and left.
“Hotel, here I come!”
【Host, aren’t you going to take care of the male lead?】 the system asked anxiously, seeing Chen Xi leave.
“Who cares about him? With a hotel, who still cares about the male lead? Staying in a hotel is so much better. Who wants to fight zombies anyway?”
【But Host, the mission…】
“The plot’s already collapsed. Why worry about missions? Isn’t surviving enough?”
【But…】
The system tried to argue, but Chen Xi interrupted: “Xiao Ba, stop with the buts. Even if I stay with the male lead, I probably won’t see the female lead. Plus, following him increases the risk of exposure. I might get taken out before completing the mission.”
“My priority now is to keep myself safe. Everything else can wait. At least the hotel is completely safe. Worst case, I fail the mission—but I’m not dying and turning into a zombie here.”
【Alright, then let’s open the hotel together!】