Watching others eat made Su Cheng feel a bit hungry herself. Deciding to just tear open a package of bread, she continued asking, “What about special dungeons? Have you ever been to one?”
Yan Yu shook her head. “I didn’t dare go, but I know people who have. The special dungeon she went to was linked to the supernatural and was extremely dangerous. After she came back, she locked herself inside her home to recover for three days, but the reward was also high—2,000 points.”
“2,000 points is equivalent to several ordinary dungeons.”
Yan Yu nodded. “I originally planned to enter a special dungeon too, but because I suddenly caught a cold, I ended up coming to this one instead.”
“One more question: apart from encountering them randomly in dungeons, are there team-up items available in the supermarket?”
Yan Yu put down the empty canned fruit, wiped her mouth, and replied, “Yes. Besides various supplies, the supermarket has plenty of practical props, but they’re expensive. Every owner needs to activate a membership card the first time they enter the supermarket… You’ll find out when you go there yourself.
Additionally, I heard that people who haven’t entered a dungeon for a whole week can’t enter the supermarket.”
Su Cheng drew in a breath. “The apartment is basically forcing people into dungeons.”
Yan Yu didn’t deny the statement. “If you have points, it’s best to prioritize purchasing items that enhance your physical constitution and raise your physical stats first. Most of the practical weapons in the supermarket are expensive and completely unaffordable in the early stages.
I wanted to save up points to buy props before and neglected physical enhancement. After the last dungeon ended, I thought it was just a minor cold, but unexpectedly it suddenly worsened in this dungeon.”
These were all summary lessons from Yan Yu’s experience as a veteran.
Su Cheng memorized them earnestly, deeply grateful that she was willing to share such insights. “Thank you!”
Yan Yu wiped her hands. “Don’t mention it. Come help me move some things outside.”
Uncertain of the reason, Su Cheng still finished the rest of her bread in two or three bites, stood up, and followed her over to the shelves displaying bottled water.
Working together, the two stacked several cases of water, bread, and instant noodles outside.
It was more humid and muggy outside than inside. The ground was wet, and the post-rain sky looked as clean and blue as if washed by water. The sun had poked its head out, glaringly harsh the moment you looked up.
After moving the things out, Su Cheng broke out in a sweat again. She raised a hand and could smell the sour stench of sweat radiating from her own body.
Yan Yu explained: “We’re moving some supplies outside because survivors are bound to pass by sooner or later. If we leave things outside, they can take them directly, avoiding face-to-face contact.”
Su Cheng nodded repeatedly, lamenting that Yan Yu was indeed thorough in her thinking, though she still voiced her inner thought: “Just doing this isn’t enough to stop someone determined to force their way in.”
The convenience store was rich in supplies; some people might take the outdoor provisions and leave, while others might grow greedy and want more…
“True, so we also need to reinforce our defenses. It should be fine for the short term.”
No sooner said than done.
The front door consisted of sliding glass panels secured by a U-shaped lock. Su Cheng asked the female employee for a bedsheet to cover the front entrance, blocking out external lines of sight.
Yan Yu cleared out several display shelves to use as a barricade for the door.
“Let’s check if there are any tools to nail the windows shut.”
Seeing Su Cheng and the others bustling about, the female employee offered to help as well. “I’ll go get them!”
Su Cheng suggested, “We can also rearrange the indoor layout. If the worst happens, we can use the layout to stall the zombies’ movements and buy time to escape.”
Yan Yu shot Su Cheng an appreciative look. “You thought of the exact same thing I did.”
The female employee scratched her head with a hesitant expression. “You young folks think so much, but is it really that terrifying? Will the zombies you’re talking about really run all the way here?”
Yan Yu replied, “You always have to prepare for the worst so you won’t be completely unprepared at a critical moment.”
Nodding heavily in strong agreement, Su Cheng concurred.
The employee was stunned for a moment, then sighed. “Alright, I’ll listen to whatever you say. Just tell me wherever you need help.”
With the employee’s help, things became much more convenient. Knowing the exact placement of all the items, she could help Su Cheng and Yan Yu grab what they needed at maximum speed.
Working with one heart, the three of them sealed off all entrances and exits of the convenience store, leaving only a small emergency escape side door that led straight to the off-road vehicle.
They used the cash register’s location and heavy cargo-laden shelves to form a chokepoint channel; if zombies broke in, they would be forced to enter single file instead of swarming in from all directions.
Once finished, all three were drenched in sweat, sitting on the floor to catch their breath and drink some water.
Yan Yu caught her breath. “The inside of the building is our final defense line, but we still need to set up some traps outside. If zombies come this way, we’ll have countermeasures ready.”
Pondering for a moment, Su Cheng came up with an idea: “Pour gasoline in a designated open patch of ground. As long as you toss a burning item onto it, you can directly burn the zombies in that area to death.”
Before Yan Yu could answer, Su Cheng quickly shook her head and vetoed it herself. “No, I forgot this is a gas station. Once you lose control of it, it’ll just blow up and we’ll all perish together.”
Yan Yu’s eyes lit up slightly. “No, the method you just mentioned isn’t entirely unfeasible.”
She slowly explained: “There’s a drainage trench right at the convenience store entrance. If we widen it and pour gasoline in, when zombies run over and get stuck in it, we can ignite it with cloth-wrapped wooden poles and burn a portion of the zombies to death.”
“Besides, the convenience store is at a safe distance from the fuel dispensers. By controlling the amount of oil, we don’t have to worry about causing an explosion.”
Su Cheng gave a thumbs-up. “Worth a shot!”
“Can we do it a bit later, though? Let me catch my breath…”
Having found a solution, Yan Yu’s expression relaxed considerably. “Alright, five-minute break!”
The employee fetched tools like a shovel and wooden planks for them.
Following Yan Yu’s instructions, after prying open the drainage trench covers, the three of them dug the trench wider together until it reached 40cm—deep enough to trap a zombie’s legs.
As for the ignition sticks, they fashioned them using mop handles and cloth strips soaked in oil.
By the time they finished setting up the traps, afternoon had faded into evening.
Back inside the convenience store, Su Cheng no longer dared to sniff her own body odor. There were no spare clothes in the store for her to change into, so she simply had to endure the stench.
Shaking her intensely sore and aching arms, Su Cheng plopped down onto a folding chair, looked at the completely transformed layout compared to how it looked initially, and sighed softly, “Hopefully none of this actually has to be used.”
Yan Yu sat down beside her. “Let’s hope so.”
“Look! The government sent a text message!”
Looking delighted, the employee held up her phone to share it with the other two.
[An unknown virus has been spreading widely recently. Please stay at home and do not go out, keep doors and windows tightly shut, minimize noise, strive to survive, and await rescue — Tonghua Municipal Government.]
This message acted like a shot of adrenaline. The employee perked up considerably. “I knew the government would step in to rescue us!”
Su Cheng and Yan Yu didn’t feel much of a reaction; after all, they were only staying in this dungeon for five days. Still, if they could stay safe in an official shelter before the dungeon ended, that would naturally be even better.
But could the authorities really launch a rescue mission in such a short time?
Su Cheng felt doubtful.
Fingering through a food box, Su Cheng pulled out a self-heating meal, poured mineral water into it, and waited for the meal to heat up.
By now, all the food had been packed from the shelves into boxes, with a small portion moved into the car’s trunk.
Yan Yu and the employee also selected their own dinner.
The three of them gathered together.
“Let’s discuss the night watch schedule. It’s getting close to 6:00 PM; we’ll start taking turns on watch duty starting at 8:00 PM.
I’m likely to get drowsy after taking cold medicine later, so Su Cheng will take the first half of the night from eight to twelve, then I’ll take twelve to four, and finally…”
Yan Yu looked over at the employee. With her mind solely focused on physical labor earlier, they hadn’t formally introduced themselves yet.
The employee offered a plain, down-to-earth smile. “My last name is Wang.”
Nodding, Yan Yu pointed at herself and then at Su Cheng. “Alright, Sister Wang, my name is Xiao Yan, and she’s Xiao Su.
“Sister Wang will take the final shift from 4:00 AM to 8:00 AM. If anything happens, wake the other two up immediately. Sound good?”
Su Cheng and Sister Wang answered in unison, “No problem.”
After finishing dinner, the three of them rested separately.
After using the restroom, Su Cheng sat down near the front cash register, peering outside through a gap in the window boards.
It was pitch black outside. The starlight from the streetlamps was barely better than nothing; there were no cicadas chirping away like on a typical summer night—it was frighteningly quiet.
A gas station untouched by zombie incursions looked no different from the real world.
Current safety didn’t mean the crisis was over. The ferocious snarls of zombies remained vivid in her mind. Su Cheng clenched her fingertips tightly. “I hope we can successfully return to the apartment.”
Lost in a daze of distracting thoughts, the ticking clock on the cash register pointed its hour hand at 12. Su Cheng walked over to the corner to wake Yan Yu up.
Rubbing her eyes, Yan Yu took a sip of water to clear her head. “Any situation?”
“None.”
“Mm, get some rest.”
Lying down on the folding chair, Su Cheng tossed and turned for a good while before drifting off into a hazy sleep.
Her sleep wasn’t peaceful.
Perhaps dwelling on things by day led to dreaming by night: in her dream, she was running, with a massive horde of zombies chasing right behind her. Among the zombie crowd were several familiar faces—the female zombie from the car, Yan Yu, Sister Wang… They were all roaring, wanting to swallow her whole.
She was the only person on the empty avenue, running helplessly, running and running…
Her heart begged silently: “Stop chasing me!”
Yet she couldn’t shake the zombies behind her no matter what.
Daring not to look back, her tightly clenched teeth chattered from fear, and she didn’t dare stop even as she panted from exhaustion.
Until a dead end blocked her path ahead.
Desperately pressing her back against the wall, she curled up on the ground with her fingernails digging into her flesh, her eyes filled with bitter resentment and unwillingness as she screamed soundlessly: “I don’t want to die!”
Just as the zombies lunged forward to engulf her, she abruptly detached from her body, turning into a spectator watching coldly as the zombies tore “her” to shreds…
Blood spread like a babbling brook…