He Lingyu fell briefly speechless. She was certain she had never seen a “so handsome he could shake the heavens and move ghosts” kind of man.
But camouflage… the guest from earlier had been dressed in rags, yet it did look vaguely like camouflage.
“I did see someone, but his face was so black it looked like a gas canister exploded in it. Probably not the handsome guy you’re looking for.”
They all had the surname Mu, but who knew which Mu it was, the Mu for “solemn,” the Mu for “wood,” or some other Mu altogether?
After hearing her description, the two lowered their heads and continued eating. That definitely was not their heroic, capable boss. A gas canister explosion… just imagining it was enough to make someone laugh.
They decided they would search farther out. If their boss was injured, it was possible he was simply moving more slowly.
“Boss, our leader’s name is Mu Qingfeng. If you see him, please pass along a message, tell him to find us in the civilian district of Gaofei Base.” The chubby one bowed to He Lingyu. It was obvious their leader mattered greatly to them.
Just as they were about to leave, He Lingyu quickly called out, “Wait! What did you say his name was?”
“Mu Qingfeng. He’s really handsome. If you see him, you’ll know I’m not exaggerating. If you do run into him, please make sure you pass on my message. Thanks!”
The chubby one assumed she had not caught the name and repeated it, earnestly asking her to remember.
The boy, however, noticed her silence. He grabbed the chubby one’s arm, stopping him from saying more.
“You’ve seen him.”
The boy spoke with certainty, staring straight at He Lingyu from beneath his bangs.
“So what if I have, and so what if I haven’t?”
Irritation crept into her tone. Why was this NPC so gloomy? She had thought they were pretty cute, yet now he was interrogating her.
“Where did he go?” The boy ignored her attitude and asked the only thing they cared about.
He Lingyu’s temper flared. “Why should I tell you?”
The chubby one hurriedly stepped between them and apologized to He Lingyu. “Sorry, Boss. My little brother’s always like this. He was diagnosed with an alien personality as a kid, he can’t communicate with humans. Please don’t take it personally!”
He tossed out the lie without blinking. He Lingyu was amused, and the boy huffed, turning his face away in annoyance.
“He left after eating and headed to Gaofei Base. He said he was going to look for his mother.”
He Lingyu’s impression of Mu Qingfeng had been good. Before leaving, he had even cleared the zombies at the entrance, saving her the trouble.
After confirming, the boy grabbed the chubby one, who still looked like he wanted to say more, and headed straight for the entrance.
“Come on, the boss is fine, why are you in such a hurry!” The chubby one complained, and even the fat on his stomach seemed to wobble.
He stopped and looked at He Lingyu with a sincerity that caught her off guard.
“Boss, thank you for feeding our leader, and thank you for the information. We owe you one. If you ever need anything, just say the word. I, Yao Zhien, won’t hesitate!”
Yao Zhien looked so earnest, as if she only had to speak and he would do it immediately.
Behind him, Jun Buyan silently rolled his eyes. That idiot was at it again. What did this even count as an “owing?”
He Lingyu blinked, stunned. She had not expected the chubby one to pull this. Did that mean this NPC would cross paths with her again later?
After thinking for a moment, she answered the same way as before. “Then do me a favor. Once you’re back at base, help me spread the word about the restaurant. That’ll count.”
What she needed now were customers. Given the way games worked, she would definitely need more customers later to complete tasks.
“Deal! Don’t worry, with my social skills I’ll make your business explode!”
She walked them to the door and waved goodbye.
Goodbye, you two!
The moment she turned around, she started silently losing her mind.
Why was that so awkward? Seriously?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a game where she didn’t have to socialize?
…
Yao Zhien and Jun Buyan had barely left the gate when they spotted several zombies.
On the ground in front of them lay the two people who had refused to enter the restaurant earlier.
The chubby one and Jun Buyan exchanged a look, both seeing shock and relief in the other’s eyes.
With their strength, they would not die here, but a fight was still likely, and if it attracted more zombies, things could get even worse.
They had not expected that the restaurant those two had mocked would become a place they would never reach again.
Those two had already turned into zombies. They stood up and joined the horde. Yao Zhien and Jun Buyan had no intention of taking them head on. It was better to return to base and regroup with Mu Qingfeng.
They were about to take a detour when another group approached from the other direction, around seven or eight people at a glance.
The newcomers looked fierce and troublesome. Not wanting to invite conflict, the chubby one and Jun Buyan slipped behind a dead tree. They immediately overheard the group’s conversation.
“Captain, there’s actually a restaurant over there. How come we never noticed it before when we came out?”
“Yeah. We passed by before and it wasn’t here. Why did it suddenly pop up? Is that a woman standing in the yard?”
At that, all seven or eight pairs of eyes turned toward He Lingyu, who was still outside and had not gone back in.
“Heh. If it’s open for business, then let’s go support it. Just wonder what kind of business they’re running inside.”
After the captain spoke, the group broke into lewd grins. Their eyes on He Lingyu were greedy, the same filthy kind of gaze shared by people who only thought of disgusting things.
Robbing, assaulting, murdering for supplies, those were all things they had done plenty of times since the apocalypse began. With no law to restrain them, this world had become heaven for criminals.
Yao Zhien and Jun Buyan looked at each other. They had heard every rotten word. Yao Zhien moved to act, but Jun Buyan gripped his arm tightly.
“If she dares to run a restaurant here, she must have some tricks. You can help once, but can you protect her for life?”
“Xiao Yan, we just ate there. You know what it’s like. As long as you have crystal cores, you can eat. If those people take it over, what do you think will happen?”
Jun Buyan fell silent. In the apocalypse, strength and supplies were everything. If that group seized the restaurant, they would not keep it open. They would claim it for themselves.
As that thought settled, his grip loosened.
They made the same decision. They would go back and check.
They followed behind the group and watched them reach the restaurant entrance.
They shouted at He Lingyu, who was still outside. “Boss, we want to eat!”
He Lingyu looked at the seven or eight people and thought the mission could be completed in one go.
Hidden in the dark, Yao Zhien watched her face so many people without any sense of caution. He grew anxious and punched his own palm.
“Why doesn’t the boss have any guard up at all? Don’t open the door!”
He Lingyu’s hand rested on the door. Just as she was about to push it open, she heard the chubby one’s voice, even though he had already left earlier.
“Don’t open it! They’re bad people! They want to take over your restaurant!”
Her hand froze. She did not push the door after all. She lifted her head toward his direction and saw him standing there, looking worried in a slightly foolish way.
She believed him. There was no reason for Yao Zhien to lie. He had no motive, and it would be a lie that could be exposed immediately.
The captain had not expected only two people to come back and interfere. “Damn it, get them! Sticking your noses where they don’t belong!”
He did not care that He Lingyu had not opened the door. That flimsy wooden door looked like it would give way with a single kick.
But Yao Zhien and Jun Buyan made his blood boil. Two nobodies trying to ruin his fun. Today he would teach them what pain really meant.
The captain’s name was Qu Ming. He was a Level 2 ability user, and he had several Level 1s in his team. At Gaofei Base, aside from the mid level people under the leadership, not many could beat him. It was a small base, after all.
He was used to bullying and abusing people, and no one dared say much. Ability users were rare, and ordinary people swallowed their losses.
So the moment he saw the chubby one and Jun Buyan resist, his first instinct was to beat them into submission. With so many people on his side, even if the other two had abilities, two fists could not beat four hands.
He Lingyu was completely baffled.
Wait, this game had thugs who bullied the weak and abused people?
Was this some kind of side quest?
What was she supposed to do now?
Stop fighting, all of you.
She no longer wanted to open the door. She quietly edged farther away from the entrance. If someone dragged her out, she would be in trouble. Even if it was a game, she was still scared. As long as she did not leave the restaurant grounds, those people could not harm her.
But the group looked vicious. Could the chubby one and Jun Buyan really win? Had the game given them some special settings?
While she was still spiraling through thoughts, the fight had already begun.
Bursts of dazzling light flared, catching her eyes. So this was what abilities looked like.
When she downloaded the game, it only mentioned the apocalypse setting and said nothing about abilities, but she was a homebody. Reading novels was practically mandatory.
Abilities in novels came in every variety. She had not expected to get a live demonstration.
Seven or eight people surrounded the chubby one and Jun Buyan. From what she could tell, the chubby one had earth type abilities. He could raise shields, and he could also shape and harden earth into attacks. Jun Buyan stayed inside his protective range, and she could not see what ability he had.
Two fists could not beat four hands. The two were struggling to hold on.
Jun Buyan glanced toward He Lingyu, who was still watching.
“Aren’t you going to do something? I don’t believe you have no way to deal with this.” He seized the moment to move to her side, his voice sharp and serious. “We could’ve just left. But that idiot didn’t want you to get hurt. Are you really going to stand there and watch him like this?”
He Lingyu pressed her lips together. The accusation made her feel uneasy. Even if these people were NPCs, the chubby one had come back for her. She still felt guilty.
“Come back into the restaurant,” she said. “Get inside.”
“What good will that do? You really think this door is some kind of iron fortress? One punch and it’ll break.” Jun Buyan was desperate now, his tone turning harsh.
Seeing that He Lingyu seemed unreliable, Jun Buyan stopped wasting time. He turned and went back to support the chubby one.
He had a rare mental type ability. His level was not high, but it was enough to help restrain opponents.
The chubby one’s ability level was actually Level 3, but he was the team’s shield and rarely focused on offense. So even though he was one level higher than the enemy captain, the fight was still difficult.
The Level 1 members were easier. With Jun Buyan’s coordination, they were quickly knocked down, writhing on the ground.
Only the captain remained standing, but the chubby one’s mental stamina was starting to fail. Ability use consumed mental energy. After fighting for so long, he had spent a lot.
Qu Ming did not look energetic either. Although he was Level 2, he did not train. After awakening, he relied entirely on abilities. His physique and stamina were both poor.
When Qu Ming saw that the two of them had taken down so many, fear crept into him. He could tell the chubby one was Level 3. Fortunately he was defensive type, but even so, Qu Ming’s own mental energy was running low.
If they kept fighting, it would likely end with both sides badly injured. Then if zombies appeared on the way back to base, they would be in serious danger.
His eyes shifted as he calculated, then he spoke first. “Today I’m the unlucky one. Let’s call a truce. I won’t mess with that little girl anymore. You’re just barely holding on too, aren’t you?”
Yao Zhien looked at Jun Buyan, then at He Lingyu, and nodded.
“Fine. We’ll end it here. The owner of this place is my friend. If you come looking for trouble again, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
Yao Zhien still threw out a warning. He was afraid the group would come back after they left. If they did, the owner would be alone, and there would be no one to help her.
“Fine. I’ll admit I lost today.” Qu Ming spat on the ground, then kicked one of his men. “Get up already. What, you want me to carry you?”
He Lingyu felt something stir in her chest when Yao Zhien called her a friend. In the real world, people always thought she was too withdrawn and did not want to be close to her. She had not expected the first person to call her a friend here would be an NPC.
She waved at them. “Get inside. Use water to clean the wounds first.”
Fighting meant some injuries, though nothing serious. In the apocalypse, people were used to it.
Yao Zhien waved his hand. “Whoa, no way. This little scratch doesn’t need water. I’m fine!”
He did not know where the owner’s resources came from, but after the apocalypse, most water sources were contaminated and clean water was scarce. He had already been shocked when he saw free water in the shop. Now she wanted to use water to clean wounds. He could not accept that.
But He Lingyu worried that unclean wounds would get infected, especially in a world like this. What if the air itself carried viruses? This NPC was oddly likable. She did not want him dying. She firmly insisted they come over.
He could not argue it, and Jun Buyan also did not want the chubby one’s effort to go unrewarded. Under both of their insistence, the chubby one finally relented.
When He Lingyu saw Jun Buyan helping Yao Zhien over, she nodded in satisfaction. That was more like it.
Then, without meaning to, her gaze flicked toward Qu Ming.
She saw him suddenly bare a vicious grin and raise his arm toward Yao Zhien.
He Lingyu’s pupils shrank.
A split second later, she felt something warm spray across her face.