I stayed up until 3 AM last night and have been writing since 7 AM; it's a tragic effort, brothers. If you have monthly tickets or recommendation votes, please shower them down, sigh...
…… Everyone started, and a cold sweat slicked Ye Chen’s palm as he stared intently at the man in the suit. Beside him, Bai Long had already spoken out, shouting, "What are you doing here?" As he spoke, he kicked the rice bowl away, trying to draw the attention of the suited man away, lest he spot the rat on the hemp rope.
The man in the suit looked over the group and sneered, "I've eaten all the rats in this room clean. You actually thought you could use a rat to chew through your ropes?
Hmph!" Saying this, he picked up the shattered bowl from the floor, breaking it into smaller pieces, aiming them precisely at the rat on the hemp rope, and hurled them with force. Ye Chen's eyes flashed, and his body sprang up instantly, shaking the iron chain, causing the hemp rope to sway slightly.
Thwack! Under the man in the suit’s immense strength, the shards were heading for the already doomed rat, but because the hemp rope was jolted, it ended up tearing the rope itself.
"Damn it!" The man in the suit’s expression shifted; he hadn't expected Ye Chen to suddenly shake the chain. This action had unintentionally helped them.
He roared in fury, his fangs extending from the corners of his mouth, glaring menacingly at Ye Chen, his face contorted with killing intent. Freed from the tension of the rope, the iron chain pendant dropped.
Although everyone’s hands were still bound by the links, they could now shift their positions. Seeing the opportunity, Ye Chen roared, "Surround him!" Bai Long and the others reacted swiftly, letting out a yell and charging forward.
Yue Heng bellowed and lashed out with his foot, aiming for the man in the suit’s lower abdomen. The man sneered and slapped out with his palm, striking like a hammer toward Yue Heng’s knee.
Snap! The knee bent, brutally broken!
Yue Heng gritted his teeth, the muscles in his face twitching uncontrollably, yet he remained utterly silent. As his knee was shattered, Ye Chen, standing nearby, kicked toward the man in the suit’s flank, his toe tapping out and landing squarely on the man’s waist.
For most people, this area was soft, an easy spot to push for a loss of balance. The man in the suit snorted and reached out, his hand closing around Ye Chen’s ankle.
Just as he was about to grip it, Ye Chen used his toe for leverage, pressing down on the man's waist, while his other foot swung out in a 180-degree kick aimed at the man's neck. This kick carried his full strength, snapping the suited man's neck to the side with the sound of cracking bone.
"Die!" Bai Long followed up with a vicious kick, aimed insultingly low at the man in the suit’s groin. With Bauer and the man and woman tied to the ends of the chains, they knew they were on the razor's edge of life and death; if they were restrained again, they would likely lose their lives.
They roared and sprinted, circling around Ye Chen and the others like the legs of a compass, the iron chains rattling loudly, encircling the man in the suit in the center. "Pull!" Ye Chen commanded lowly.
Bauer and the man and woman each held an end, yanking outwards in opposite directions. A tremendous tearing force concentrated on the man in the suit.
His face was ferocious, his blood-red mouth wide open as he lunged to bite Ye Chen. Bai Long and the others behind him pulled desperately, restricting his body from moving freely.
Ye Chen felt a sharp ache in both feet, as if needles were plunged into them, but he didn't have time to attend to it. He shouted, "Tear him apart!" As he spoke, he leaned back, putting all his strength into the chains.
Now, Ye Chen and Bai Long and the others were like participants in a tug-of-war, with the man in the suit at the midpoint. The chains were already cutting bloody welts across his body; he was completely unable to break free, roaring repeatedly like a trapped beast.
Crack, crack! Suddenly, the iron chain snapped violently.
The lock at the connection point was twisted out of shape, breaking into several pieces. The man in the suit instantly broke free, his eyes blood-red, staring fixedly at Ye Chen as he roared and charged.
A cold light flashed in Ye Chen’s eyes, but he didn't retreat. Instead, his figure twisted, and he swung his hand out sharply—Whoosh!—the iron chain binding his hands, having just broken loose, immediately whipped out like a lash toward the man in the suit’s head.
This turn of events was completely unexpected for the suited man. Though his reaction was fast, the chain was faster, striking across his cheek and leaving a bloody gash.
"Die!" Bai Long and the others charged from behind, the iron chains in their hands transforming into the most potent weapons as they rained down blows upon the man in the suit’s head and face. "Roar!" The man in the suit emitted a hoarse, enraged bellow.
His gaze was ferocious. With a grab of his hand, he snatched Bai Long’s chain and yanked hard.
Bai Long’s body involuntarily pitched forward, pulled into the man’s embrace. He roared and bit down hard on Bai Long’s shoulder.
"No good!" Ye Chen, Yue Heng, and the others’ faces changed instantly, and they rushed forward. Bang!
After taking a bite, the man in the suit shoved Bai Long away. Blood stained the corner of his mouth, his hair disheveled as he stared at the group, then suddenly lunged toward Ye Chen.
Ye Chen’s gaze turned icy. He swept his iron chain across, and the man in the suit arched his back to dodge it.
However, as Ye Chen swung the chain, he stepped forward, hooking his left foot up to kick the man squarely under the chin. The man in the suit staggered, nearly falling over, then looked at Ye Chen with shock and rage, roaring as he charged again.
Just then, Zhuge Fan, who was nearby, suddenly rushed out. This youth’s face was a mask of ferocity as he shrieked, "Aaaaargh..." like a wild beast, slamming his head into the man in the suit’s waist.
The man in the suit staggered, stepping back several paces. In his rage, he struck out with his palm, hitting Zhuge Fan’s back.
The sound of shattering bone echoed. Zhuge Fan gritted his teeth, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.
He suddenly kicked out, striking toward the man in the suit’s knee. The man hadn’t anticipated this move; his knee buckled violently as it was struck.
"Kill him quickly!" Yue Heng, standing by, roared, suddenly charging forward and slamming into the man in the suit from behind. His bound hands acted like a vice, grasping the man in the suit and choking his neck.
The man in the suit roared in fury and kicked Zhuge Fan aside. Seeing him about to break free from Yue Heng’s hold, Bauer and the man and woman roared and charged in, kicking at the man in the suit’s chest, groin, and knees.
The man in the suit’s face was hideous. He grabbed the woman’s ankle and punched, brutally wrenching her foot until it snapped.
The woman cried out in agony and collapsed, unconscious. Bauer saw the danger and immediately retreated.
The other man didn't manage to escape; the man in the suit seized him by the neck, lifted him high, and slammed him heavily against the nearby wall with a dull thud. "Die!" Ye Chen suddenly rushed in from the side, his gaze chillingly cold, and rammed his head forward.
The man in the suit raised a hand to block it, but Ye Chen suddenly pushed between their palms. Sandwiched between their hands was a shard of sharp ceramic bowl.
This thrust instantly pierced through the man in the suit’s throat. "Gah, urgh..." The man in the suit’s eyes widened in disbelief, not expecting Ye Chen to possess such a deadly weapon.
He reached up, trying to pull the shard from his throat, but Ye Chen seized the moment, pushing with desperate force. The shard sliced his hand, blood pouring out everywhere.
The man in the suit struggled violently a few times, but the fragment sank deeper, embedding itself completely. After twitching twice, his body stiffened, and his head dropped.
After a moment, Ye Chen confirmed he was dead, then retreated two steps, gasping deeply, and collapsed onto the ground, utterly weak and drained. The others looked at the motionless body of the man in the suit on the floor.
The terror in their eyes gradually receded, only to be replaced by the sharp, agonizing pain radiating from their own wounds as they grimaced and sucked in cold air. Ye Chen struggled to stand, walked out of the bedroom, and searched the living room outside.
He soon found a handgun, picked it up, and returned to the bedroom. First, he dispatched the two zombies startled awake inside the cage, then approached Mo Feng.
"Your injuries are lighter; I’ll unlock you first." Mo Feng said nothing, simply holding out his hand. Ye Chen aimed and pulled the trigger.
Boom! Crash!
The iron chains broke and fell away. The recoil numbed Ye Chen’s arm, and his expression grew even more fatigued as he handed the gun to Mo Feng.
Soon, the iron chains binding everyone’s hands were shot off. The group sat in the bedroom to rest.
Yue Heng had a broken leg; Bai Long had a chunk of flesh bitten from his shoulder; the woman’s foot was broken; the other man had several broken bones; the rest had only minor injuries. Ye Chen sat on a chair to recover, taking off his shoes to examine his toes, working to dispel the blood pooling beneath the skin, lest his feet swell up horribly by morning.
"I’ll go make something to eat; everyone needs to restore some energy," Mo Feng said, heading toward the kitchen. Bai Long and Yue Heng exchanged a glance, both recognizing the sheer terror reflected in the other’s eyes.
Ye Chen glanced at the wound on Bai Long’s shoulder, his brow furrowed, and called toward Mo Feng in the kitchen, "See if there are any ice cubes in the fridge; bring some over!" A while later, Mo Feng emerged holding a tray with some crushed ice, likely chiseled from the bottom of the refrigerator. He placed it directly in front of Bai Long.
"Apply this." Bai Long’s face was pale, and he managed a wry smile before taking the crushed ice to apply to the wound. If the infected area wasn't treated properly—cleaned with hot water—increased blood circulation would only accelerate the onset of the disease.
Ye Chen looked out at the pitch-black window while slowly massaging his toes. Suddenly, his hand brushed against his ankle, where he found a clear scratch mark left by a fingernail, a small break in the skin that was slightly red and swollen.
Ye Chen frowned, gently covered it up, then put his shoes back on. "We rest for a day, then head to the city center tomorrow." Exhausted from a full day of fighting, everyone quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, Ye Zhu rose early to prepare the meal. After everyone ate their fill, they packed the remaining two cans into their backpacks and then released the five survivors who had been captured and held in the bedroom.
These five were natives of this mission world, not inheritors like Ye Chen. Ye Chen found a moment to check his status; his points had changed: 182 points!
System Log: "You killed a high-tier zombie, earning 100 points." At that moment, a strong, lean young man stepped out from among the five survivors. His expression was pale, and he approached Ye Chen gratefully.
"Thank you for saving our lives." Bai Long translated from the side. Ye Chen waved it off.
"It was nothing." The muscular youth looked at him. "We know a passage that leads directly to the city center.
Are you willing to go together? Very few people know about that passage, and there should be few zombies inside." Ye Chen paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "We can!"