Before Wang Zhiyang could repeat himself, the moment Yan Yu heard Team Leader Liu’s words, she spun the steering wheel around in an instant.
“The rescue team is rushing toward your direction. Take a left, go straight for 6 kilometers, and you’ll find a tunnel. We’ll rendezvous at the tunnel! You must hurry!”
The voice on the other end of the walkie-talkie turned static-heavy, and Team Leader Liu could be faintly heard urging and directing his men…
Su Cheng stared at the box in Wang Zhiyang’s arms. “Does this thing contain something inside that attracts gathering hordes of zombies?”
Seeing Su Cheng point it out with pinpoint accuracy, Wang Zhiyang offered an embarrassed, sheepish smile. “Pretty much…”
“If it was leaking, why didn’t you say so earlier?!”
“Uh… this relates to official government secrets, after all.”
Before Su Cheng could question him further, Yan Yu executed a sharp, high-speed left turn that forced Su Cheng to grip the overhead handle tightly.
The moment she recovered her focus, her sharp eyes caught sight of a black dot emerging on the boundary where the highway met the sky in the distance…
One, two, three, six, ten…
The zombies were catching up.
With an ugly expression, Su Cheng pointed at the box in Wang Zhiyang’s arms. “How far away can this thing attract zombies from?”
Wang Zhiyang shook his head, feeling guilty that he had dragged everyone down as he lowered his head apologetically. “I haven’t had time to study it yet, but I estimate it’s anywhere from 500 meters to 1 kilometer… The box is crucial; it has to be delivered to the authorities to help them develop weapons targeting zombies.”
Su Cheng didn’t press further, turning her head back toward the rear window.
Dense, swarming black dots were surging in from all directions, but as if guided by some unseen force, their target remained crystal clear: charging straight toward Su Cheng’s group.
Even with distance between them, the sense of oppression was suffocating!
Su Cheng swallowed hard, picking up an iron shovel with a moody expression. How is it that the moment we finish killing one batch of zombies, another batch shows up?!
Wang Zhiyang and Sister Wang picked up a spear and an iron pitchfork respectively.
Aside from the spear, the iron shovel and pitchfork were tools they had used back at the gas station and tossed into the car; as it turned out, they were fully equipped right in time.
Though Yan Yu had to drive, she still kept her fire axe ready right beside her.
The car was moving fast, but whether it was infection and mutation stimulating the zombies’ physical stamina, they ran faster and faster, attempting to close the gap.
Out of nowhere, zombies emerged from a shortcut on the flank, sprinting toward the vehicle at lightning speed.
Su Cheng was already someone who had killed zombies at close quarters, so she remained much calmer this time, estimating the possible angles from which they might lunge at the car.
Among the group, Sister Wang was undoubtedly the most terrified, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped her pitchfork.
“Roar, roar, roar—!”
Finally, a zombie lunged hard against the rear trunk, only to be knocked off the vehicle by a blow from Su Cheng’s shovel.
Several zombies ambushed them from the side of the car, and Yan Yu dodged or shook them off while driving.
Bang!
A zombie slid off the front windshield, leaving behind a puddle of dark red, filthy blood.
“Ah…”
A faint, trembling sound escaped Sister Wang’s throat, but nobody had the spare time to comfort her right now.
The car’s speed was affected by the obstructive zombies to varying degrees. They couldn’t wait until all the zombies closed in, or they would be trapped within the horde.
Fortunately, the vehicle proved powerful enough, and bolstered by Yan Yu’s driving skills, there were only a rare few instances where zombies lunged at the rear window opening and managed to crawl inside.
Seizing every opportunity, Su Cheng struck each one down with her shovel!
Wang Zhiyang cried out in pleasant surprise, “I see the tunnel!”
Sister Wang’s eyes lit up. “Hurry, hurry, hurry!”
The car charged ahead at maximum accelerator speeds, letting them experience speed and passion firsthand.
Hearing Wang Zhiyang’s joyful voice, Su Cheng gained a bit of confidence as she watched the zombie horde trailing less than five meters behind them.
There were probably a little over a hundred zombies back there—roughly the same number as at the gas station.
Unlike them, the rescue team definitely carried guns. As long as their ammunition was sufficient, and with the tunnel serving as a defensible stronghold, dealing with the zombies behind them shouldn’t pose an issue.
The moment they stepped into shooting range, the suppressed gunfire sounded muffled, and bullets zipped rapidly toward the trailing zombies!
The rescue team had deployed barricades ten meters away from the tunnel entrance, and six armed personnel stood at the mouth of the tunnel firing rifles at the zombie horde.
The moment they bailed out of the car, the four of them rushed across the barricade without stopping to enter the tunnel.
Bullets whistled past them, striking the pursuing zombies—a protective escort completely powered by the rescue team’s firepower.
Stepping into the tunnel, Wang Zhiyang caught his breath for a moment before shouting first toward the middle-aged man: “Team Leader Liu!”
Steady and composed, Team Leader Liu’s men fired at the zombies while giving Wang Zhiyang a quick glance. “There’s a new box in the passenger seat. Transfer it immediately.”
“Understood!”
Two green military trucks were parked inside the tunnel. Wang Zhiyang bolted straight for the front passenger seat of one of them, not forgetting to turn back and tell Su Cheng’s trio:
“Thank you guys. You should get into the vehicle in front first; we’ll probably be heading to a newly established shelter. Once we reach the shelter, I’ll thank you properly!”
“Sister Wang, you get in the car first.”
“Okay.”
After Sister Wang climbed in, Su Cheng and Yan Yu didn’t follow immediately. Instead, they leaned against the tunnel wall to catch their breath and steady their breathing. Watching the armed personnel holding guns, a true sense of stability finally settled into their hearts.
In three more hours, they would be able to exit this dungeon.
Had Wang Zhiyang not suddenly appeared, they might have simply returned to the apartment from inside the convenience store.
However, with the rescue squad present and the rescue mission completed, the situation wasn’t bad at all. Earning points as a reward for the crisis they had survived made it well worth it.
Amidst the hail of gunfire, zombies fell one by one until the ground outside the barricade was littered with corpses…
“Having guns is really nice. So cool.”
Yan Yu nodded in agreement, letting out a regretful sigh. “Too bad I don’t know how to shoot, and store firearms are way too expensive.”
“If we could bring firepower-heavy weapons into this dungeon, would the survival difficulty drop by a lot?”
“Mm. After all, it’s only the early stage of the virus outbreak, yet this 5-day dungeon only gives 100 points. The time is too long for too few points. Unless you trigger a rescue mission, this dungeon is actually quite a bad deal.”
Su Cheng nodded thoughtfully.
“Clearance complete! Fall back immediately!”
At Team Leader Liu’s command, the rescue squad filed into the vehicles methodically. The trailing zombies had been cleared out, but the commotion hadn’t been small; to avoid drawing a fresh zombie horde, they needed to evacuate immediately.
“What are you guys…”
Team Leader Liu looked with puzzled incomprehension as Su Cheng and Yan Yu ran toward their off-road vehicle.
Facing veterans forged in the fires of battle like him, Su Cheng felt an indescribable sense of caution. “We want to drive this car and follow right behind the military trucks, is that okay?”
Though puzzled, Team Leader Liu didn’t refuse. “Alright. Just remember to stay close and don’t get separated.”
Su Cheng hopped into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt. After all, it would take another three hours on the road before they could exit the dungeon; if they rode in the rescue team’s vehicle, they would have to find an excuse to get off halfway through.
That was why they chose a vehicle of their own, yet since neither of them was familiar with the road conditions, following behind the rescue team was the safest option overall.
When Su Cheng first proposed this idea, it had even won praise from Yan Yu.
After tailing behind the military trucks for a stretch, as the exit time drew near, the off-road vehicle gradually increased the distance separating it from the green military convoy.
Beep-beep
Catching sight of the lagging off-road vehicle in his rearview mirror, Team Leader Liu honked his horn to signal them to catch up.
Su Cheng simply leaned out the window, waved her hand, and shouted at the top of her lungs, “We’re going to look for our family, goodbye!”
Hearing the voices, Wang Zhiyang and Sister Wang both poked their heads out of the vehicle. “Xiao Yan, Xiao Su! You guys…”
Their voices gradually dissipated into the wind.
Yan Yu spun the steering wheel, turning into a fork in the road.
A mechanical countdown timer appeared in Su Cheng’s mind. Letting out a breath of air, she felt a trace of actual excitement. “We’re finally going back to the apartment.”
10, 9, 8…
Catching the stench of her own clothes, Su Cheng wrinkled her nose in disgust. Once they got back to the apartment, she was definitely going to take a long, satisfying shower.
Pulling the car to a stop, Yan Yu let out a soft smile of ultimate relaxation. “Let’s team up for another dungeon if we get the chance.”
“Of course!”
“Help yourself to whatever supplies you want in the trunk. All the things I want are in my backpack.”
“Mm.”
…3, 2, 1.
Before Su Cheng could fully grasp the meaning of her words, the countdown ended.
The surrounding space distorted and blurred, and Su Cheng arrived in the void.
【Dungeon settlement in progress】
【Congratulations to resident No. 1216 of Apartment Building No. 1167, Street X, District E for successfully completing the mission. Total points obtained: 400.】
【You may choose to bring away items located within a 2㎡ radius around you.】
【Tip: Each storage slot can only hold items of the same category, with a weight limit of 3kg per slot. Living entities and items exceeding ten times your own size cannot be selected.】
Five storage slots appeared before Su Cheng’s eyes alongside a 60-second countdown.
All the items Su Cheng had previously left in the car appeared around her.
This included the water she had left in the vehicle, her canvas bag, the cardboard boxes of supplies loaded from the car, and the iron shovel.
“Water, medicine, iron shovel, bread and chocolate, toilet paper.”
The items Su Cheng picked up were loaded into the storage slots. If she tried placing non-matching items into the same slot, a prompt would warn her against it, and slots could no longer be filled once the weight limit was reached.
Working within the limited inventory space, Su Cheng rapidly rummaged through the supply boxes without hesitation. When the 60-second countdown ended, plenty of bread and biscuits were still left behind in the box, unable to be carried away…
【Transmitting…】
【Ding~ Dear resident No. 1216, welcome back! Next, the apartment will provide you with one free medical service.】
Su Cheng’s vision went dark. The moment she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a white diagnostic room, lying inside a medical pod.
Her body was submerged in a green liquid, as if returning to the womb to bathe in amniotic fluid… warm, comfortable, and relaxing.
A woman wearing a white lab coat sat in a chair. Adjusting her glasses, she recorded Su Cheng’s medical intake information and asked with a calm expression, “How do you feel?”
Tilting her head back, Su Cheng rested it against the edge of the pod. “Very comfortable. Are you the apartment’s doctor?”
“Mm, my name is Lin Deng. You can call me Dr. Lin.”
“Do you have any discomfort anywhere?”
Su Cheng thought for a moment. “I hit my head earlier, and then I kept getting dizzy from time to time, feeling a bit nauseous…”
Dr. Lin swiped through the information on her tablet. “Mild concussion, nothing serious. After soaking in the medicinal bath, you’ll recover within 1 to 2 days.”
“Alright, thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Five minutes after the medicinal bath ends, you’ll be transmitted back to your apartment.”
With that, Dr. Lin stopped sparing her attention, focusing intently on recording notes on her tablet…
Su Cheng withdrew her gaze. This Dr. Lin seemed to have an aloof personality.
Relaxing her body, Su Cheng began enjoying the medicinal bath. These medicated fluids were likely a specialized apartment creation, carrying a faint, refreshing fragrance that felt ten times more comfortable than any bath or hot spring she had soaked in before, every single pore on her body whispering comfort.
Until the five-minute mark ended and Su Cheng returned to her apartment, she still felt a lingering sense of wanting more.
“Finally back.”
Looking at the still-unfamiliar apartment, Su Cheng felt an inexplicable spark of warmth welling up inside.
All the items Su Cheng had selected in the dungeon materialized on the floor.
Right now, however, she had no time to organize them. Emerging from the medical pod, she was still soaking wet, and her filthy clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin.
Stepping into the bathroom, Su Cheng stripped off her dirty clothes and tossed them into the trash can.
The moment hot water sprayed from the showerhead, cascading over her hair and skin, she felt as though her sticky, filthy body was being sublimated. The sensation of the accumulated grime being washed away by the cascading stream was exceptionally stress-relieving.
Su Cheng had always considered showering a pleasurable activity, especially after exhaustion.
The bathroom stocked sample-sized bottles of body wash and shampoo provided by the apartment; carrying a clean lemon scent rather than a cloying, sugary sweetness, it won Su Cheng’s immediate approval.
She took a full half-hour shower, scrubbing herself thoroughly. When she emerged wrapped in a bathrobe, she felt exceptionally refreshed and cozy.