We've plummeted back to second place this morning! That other group’s artifacts just exploded, dropping 500,000 contribution coins on them and knocking us down! Brothers, our warrior blood is about to boil over.
We need just 30 more votes to defy fate and surge upward again! …… “Zombies!” a young man murmured darkly.
Ye Chen’s expression remained placid.
He could already tell this small team was not weak; the regular members were all at Level Seven or Eight, and Roger was nearing Level Ten.
Though he lacked equipment for proof, Ye Chen estimated the disparity was negligible.
Two months ago, a Level Ten physique could secure a Battalion Commander position in the base city, but now, it only ranked a mere squad leader.
Since obtaining the Atlantean civilization’s knowledge, the pace of human advancement had accelerated significantly, barely managing to keep up with the monsters… at least, the terrestrial ones.
“Don't panic!” Roger gripped his firearm, pulled out the flashlight strapped to his waist, stood up, and slowly walked toward the edge.
Fearing he couldn't handle it alone, the others abandoned their food, tightening their grip on steel knives or guns, and followed him.
Roger looked somewhat tense.
He took a deep breath, slowly grasped the doorknob, yanked it open sharply, and simultaneously retreated, aiming his weapon outward… Empty! The group froze, shining their flashlights out into nothing.
The sudden sound of footsteps seemed to have been the collective illusion of everyone present.
Roger frowned, sweeping his flashlight left and right.
Seeing no zombies, he tentatively stepped to the edge and illuminated the corridor.
It was deep, pitch-black, utterly silent, and eerily sinister.
Relieved that there were no undead, Roger relaxed slightly.
He flicked his flashlight around a few times, found nothing amiss, then turned back into the room, closing the door behind him.
He told the others, “Nothing.” Then he walked to the fire pit and sat down.
Seeing no zombies, the others frowned, exchanging glances; they all recognized the worry and fear in each other's eyes, yet consciously held back the bold thought brewing in their minds… Ghosts? Roger settled back by the fire, turning to look.
Ye Chen was leaning against the wall, one knee bent, his arm resting on it.
An icy mask obscured the man's features, but his eyes, visible through the slits, were fixed on the eerie flames of the fire, as if two infernos were mirrored within them.
“Are you hungry? I have some rations left.” Roger paused, then pulled out a strip of jerky that looked like dried meat from his backpack.
A hint of reluctance flickered in his eyes, but he eventually offered it to Ye Chen.
Ye Chen turned to glance at him, then after a long moment, returned his gaze to the fire, saying, “No need.” That small piece of jerky wouldn't be enough for his consumption.
Given his physique, he required the blood of monsters around Level 150.
Roger shot him a strange look but said no more.
He rewrapped the jerky in a plastic bag and stuffed it back into his pack.
Leaning against the wall, he stretched languidly and sighed, “I really miss my soft bed.
I can never sleep that comfortably again.” The others managed wry smiles, sharing a bittersweet acknowledgment.
In the cold night, finding someone to talk to was a genuine relief! They all started engaging, sharing amusing stories from their past lives.
“I had a friend who took a bus; that idiot boarded the wrong one.
He got off with no money and had to look for work.
Guess what? He ran into a beautiful girl—truly, only fools are blessed!” “Heh heh…” The others smiled faintly, finding a measure of dark humor in their situation.
“Hey…” Suddenly, a faint, delicate fragrance drifted to Ye Chen’s nose.
He watched as one of the team’s only two women approached.
She had a slender, oval face and quite delicate features.
Smiling, she looked at Ye Chen and said, “You don’t seem to like talking much?” Ye Chen nodded slightly.
“My name is Huang Ya.
It’s nice to meet you!” The girl smiled faintly.
“Surviving out here without a weapon must mean you’re very capable! Oh, and why the mask? I bet you’re a real handsome guy underneath.
Are you hiding your identity?” Ye Chen frowned slightly, surprised that this woman had noticed such a detail.
He didn't deny it, instead asking, “How do you know I’m handsome?” Huang Ya winked playfully.
“I used to be a journalist for a newspaper; you can’t fool me.
From the sound of your voice and your demeanor, I can tell you’re definitely not bad looking! Besides… never doubt a woman’s intuition!” Ye Chen nodded.
“Your observational skills are impressive; it’s no wonder you’ve survived this long.” Huang Ya smiled softly, an unreadable light flickering in her eyes.
She murmured, “I hope to survive tomorrow too.
I really don’t want to be eaten by those filthy monsters and then pulled out as a pile of… mess.” Ye Chen gazed at her intently for a moment, then turned his head away.
It was meant as a humorous remark, but he couldn't smile.
A person overwhelmingly obsessed with survival could sometimes be terrifying.
Just then— Another set of footsteps sounded from outside.
The chatting group instantly quieted, exchanging glances, their brows furrowing.
Simultaneously, they felt a chill surround them, as if a figure with long, trailing hair stood behind them, sending shivers down their spines.
Roger’s smile vanished, and he frowned, drawing his handgun.
“Let’s check.
See if it’s a zombie or a ghost!” Their faces were grim.
They picked up their flashlights and steel knives, walking toward the room.
Roger pulled the door open and peered outside.
The footsteps ceased the moment he opened it, as if they had never existed.
Roger swept his flashlight down the hallway and saw no zombies.
A chilling thought immediately surfaced—memories of those massacred, their final moments of agony… A murderer often dreams of the ghosts of their victims coming back, looking just as they did in death, to claim vengeance.
Cold sweat slicked down Roger’s back.
He exchanged a look with the men behind him.
Seeing his pale face, they understood immediately.
Their expressions shifted.
One brawny man spoke with controlled anger, “We’ll split up and search; let’s see what is playing these tricks!” “I think it’s safer if we go in pairs of two.
If anything happens, we shout loudly,” Roger suggested.
“Agreed!” Everyone nodded, splitting into three pairs.
Roger glanced at Ye Chen, who remained motionless by the fire, and said nothing more.
He closed the door, then turned on his flashlight, gesturing to the other two pairs: “You two go over there, and you go this way.
Split up and search.” The three groups moved apart.
One young man, paired with the other girl besides Huang Ya, headed toward a room on the right side of the hallway.
Seeing the door slightly ajar, they cautiously pushed it open and stepped inside.
The room was a chaotic mess of torn papers strewn everywhere.
The two moved deeper, searching the two bedrooms near the living area.
In the pitch darkness, the young man’s flashlight swept through a bedroom, revealing a pool of blood and many bones.
On a nearby wooden table sat a pile of blood that looked as if it had been deliberately scraped off with a knife.
The young man’s heart constricted.
Looking at the pile of blood, he couldn't help but ask the girl next to him, “Was someone staying here? Otherwise, how would a zombie…” He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening suddenly… The girl who had been his partner was gone.
“Big brother…” Suddenly, a crisp voice rang out.
The young man jumped, quickly shining his light behind him.
Unbeknownst to him, a little girl, about six or seven, stood there.
She had a chubby face, an endearing smile, and looked incredibly cute.
As she grinned, a row of snow-white teeth was revealed… The young man glanced at the girl’s pupils; seeing they weren't pale green, he sighed in relief—most zombies had pale green eyes.
He nodded toward the child’s head, curious.
“Little sister, why are you all alone here?” The child playfully blinked her eyes, looking up at the young man.
“Big brother, do you want candy?” “Candy?” The young man was taken aback.
“Yes!” The child giggled, then brought the hand hidden behind her back forward, presenting it to the young man.
She slowly opened her palm.
In her smooth, fair hand were… two eyeballs! The young man’s pupils contracted, and he gasped, “You…” But the words died in his throat as a hand pierced his throat.
His body stiffened, and he slumped to the ground.
The little girl curved her lips into a smile, withdrew her hand, wiped it on the young man’s body, then popped one of the eyeballs from her other hand into her mouth.
She chewed with palpable enjoyment, swallowed, and sighed contentedly, “Candy is delicious.” She then reached out a finger and expertly gouged out the young man’s eyes, dumping the corpse in the room before turning to leave.
As she passed the living room, she saw a corpse on the floor—it was the girl who had been paired with the young man.
Her throat bore a bloody cavity where an eye should have been—her eye was gone! In another room elsewhere.
“Nothing here,” a brawny man announced after sweeping his flashlight across the bedroom without finding any sign of a zombie.
He turned to his companion behind him, “Let’s go…” He stopped abruptly, his mouth hanging open, staring blankly at a little girl in a white dress who had suddenly appeared before him.
He quickly regained his senses and aimed his gun directly at her head.
“Big brother…” the child whined with a hint of melancholy, “I want candy.” Uh… The brawny man was stunned.
He hadn’t expected the girl to speak.
Zombies couldn't talk unless they reached a terrifying level, perhaps over a hundred, and such beings could kill him with trivial effort.
“Little sister, are you human?” the brawny man couldn't help but ask.
The child wrinkled her nose slightly, looking aggrieved.
“Big brother, give me candy, please? I’m begging you, okay?” Seeing that she looked close to tears, the brawny man frowned, reluctantly saying, “Fine, alright.
But Uncle doesn’t have any candy on me.
I’ll get it when we get back, little sister.
Tell big brother, why are you here alone?” “You promised,” the child’s eyes lit up, and a subtle curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.