A low, hoarse growl sounded behind him, like the roar of a wild beast.
Lin Qian's scalp tightened. He spun around just in time to see the corpse on the bed suddenly jerk upright. One of its rotting eyeballs fell out, while the other rolled grotesquely in its socket. Its black-and-yellow teeth clacked together.
"Fuck!"
Cursing inwardly, he hurriedly pulled out the handgun he had just acquired and aimed it at the zombie's head.
Bang!
Lin Qian had never handled a gun before. He underestimated how much pressure it took to pull the revolver's trigger, and the distance didn't help. The bullet missed its mark and only blew the zombie's ear apart, sending scraps of flesh flying.
"Raaagh!"
The attack didn't slow the zombie down. Instead, it immediately locked onto him and lunged, clawing and snapping.
Inhale... exhale...
Faced with the charging zombie, Lin Qian didn't fire right away. Instead, he took a deep breath and steadied himself.
He didn't want to waste another bullet.
The zombie tumbled off the bed, rose on twisted limbs, and raised its rotting arms, roaring as it came straight for his face.
Its swaying head made it difficult to aim. Lin Qian waited until it was only a step away, close enough to reach him.
Bang!
The bullet struck between its eyes. The back of its skull exploded, splattering blood and brains everywhere. The stench of decay grew even stronger.
The headshot zombie fell straight backward with a thud. It twitched twice, then lay still.
[Ding!]
A system notification rang in his mind.
[Basic Cleanup Task completed: Clear the room. Reward obtained: Storage Space (1 cubic meter)]
[Ding! You are the first Survivor to complete a task. First-completion reward obtained: Anomalous Digestion Serum ×1]
[Anomalous Digestion Serum: Upon injection, grants the Trait: Anomalous Digestion. Greatly enhances digestive ability.]
"Phew..."
Lin Qian let out a long breath. Only when he heard the system notifications did his taut nerves finally relax. He slowly lowered his gun, his hand trembling slightly despite himself.
But he quickly pulled himself together and checked his rewards.
With a thought, the handgun in his palm turned into white light and vanished. Another thought brought it back into his hand.
Lin Qian's eyes lit up.
"So this Storage Space can hold more than just supplies. I can keep weapons in there as a hidden trump card, too."
Next, he claimed his first-kill reward.
A metal-covered injector appeared in his hand.
The cylindrical injector was about the size of a short piece of sugarcane. It was hefty and much larger than he had expected. He twisted off the cap at the bottom, exposing a needle. It looked as though pressing the button on top would administer the injection automatically.
Lin Qian didn't rush to use it, though. He replaced the cap and put it back in his Storage Space. Who knew what strange side effects it might have? He would wait until he was prepared.
For now, his priority was to search the room thoroughly.
Keeping the handgun ready in case of hidden dangers, Lin Qian opened the wardrobe and found a well-made black suit and a leather gun holster.
In the suit pockets were half a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, a car key, and an ID booklet.
To Lin Qian's disappointment, he searched the entire room and even forced himself to search the zombie's body, but he didn't find a single bullet.
He had only three rounds left in his gun. He would have to use them sparingly.
"Time to loot the rest of the place..."
He left the bedroom, looked toward the kitchen, and began sweeping the place clean.
He emptied the liquor cabinet. Whether the bottles would be useful or not, he would take them first and worry about that later.
He also packed up all the kitchen knives. Since he had to save the gun as a last resort, ordinary weapons like these would be very useful.
Unfortunately, he searched every cupboard and the refrigerator without finding any food—not even a single can.
"Is this kitchen just for show?"
He cursed inwardly and continued gathering supplies.
He found several bottles of drinking water, then raided the guest bedroom for its pillows and bedding, a fire escape mask, and a medical kit. In the end, he even took the fire extinguisher.
"That should do for now. If I need anything else, I can always come back..."
Once he was sure there was nothing else worth taking, Lin Qian picked up the bedding and left the room.
A cubic meter of space was still limited, and the bedding would make it rather cramped. Afraid it might crush the bottles and containers, he carried it in his arms instead. His room was only a short walk away, anyway.
Outside Room 605, the corridor was noticeably noisier. A few people had gathered in the distance, talking about something, though they didn't seem particularly friendly with one another.
Lin Qian paid them no mind. He had no intention of approaching anyone, so he carried the bedding back to his room. Before entering, he glanced at Room 608 opposite. Its indicator light was red, meaning the girl with the fluffy curls had already gone out exploring.
Inside, Lin Qian took everything out of his Storage Space and sorted it into neat piles in the corner. He spread the bedding on his bed.
The once-empty room was now filled with odds and ends, making it finally feel a little more lived-in.
He checked his watch. The trip had taken a full two and a half hours, mostly because searching for supplies had been so time-consuming. Less than half of his Safe Exploration Time remained.
He opened the Regional Channel again and glanced at the messages.
[Oh my god, the room next to mine is a cold-storage room! There's so much fish and meat in there!]
[I'm so jealous! I'm scared there might be some terrifying monster in the other rooms, so I haven't dared open any of their doors.]
[Oh, what are you afraid of? Didn't they say there's a three-day Beginner Protection Period?]
[Something's wrong! I saw the person across from me go into the room next to his. He'd been in there for over an hour, and just now, the red light on his door went out!]
The message instantly sparked panic.
[What?! People can actually die here?!]
[I thought this was some kind of social experiment run by a secret organization. This is real?!]
[Could it be some kind of virtual reality technology? Maybe all our consciousnesses are stored in some sort of medium, and everything we're experiencing is fake...]
Someone ventured a bold theory.
[Then how do you explain my hemorrhoids? Are those virtual too?]
Someone else questioned it.
[Looking to buy a self-defense weapon. A baseball bat, knife, or sword will do. I can trade frozen food!]
[I just entered a room that looks like a warehouse. There are some steel pipes and wooden sticks here. Want one?]
[Yes! That's great!]
[Show me your room number. I'll come find you.]
Only then did Lin Qian notice the option beneath his avatar in the Regional Channel to display his room number.
[781: Come on over. If you can, bring a few extra steel pipes. We can discuss the price in person.]
The speaker was obviously the person who had found the cold-storage room. He had chosen to display his room number.
Lin Qian shook his head and sighed. There really were idiots who would casually give away their room numbers. The other person clearly had weapons, and now that he knew where to find the man, there was no telling what he might do.
After all, it was hard to say whether morality and law still meant anything in this place.
Sure enough...
[781: Bro? Why aren't you saying anything?]
[781:?]
[781: Wait! Why has everyone stopped talking?]
[I suggest you hide, 781. Sounds like he's gone to collect his goods...]
Someone was clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Lin Qian closed the chat and began to think.
He had one chance left to open a door, so he needed to choose carefully.
Unexplored rooms meant resources, and people were beginning to realize it.
But the risks matched the rewards. Take the tiger in Room 607, for example. Anyone slower to react would probably have met a miserable end.
By comparison, the zombie in Room 605 had taken a long time to get moving, and Lin Qian had also found the revolver, so it hadn't been difficult to kill.
"Should I kill that tiger? There might be a reward for it."
Lin Qian looked at the gun in his hand and shook his head.
"Forget it. That beast isn't like a zombie. Three bullets might not be enough. I'd better explore another room."
Having made up his mind, Lin Qian opened his door and stepped out once more...