Ming Sūlín stood inside the weathered cabin, sunlight spilling through cracked windows onto stacks of supplies—canned food, weapon crates, and worn tactical gear.
This resource point was exactly what they desperately needed.
Her eyes scanned the piles—water canteens, crates, and a torn tarp folded neatly in one corner. The zombie loot had been decent, but this—this was the real deal.
Finally, something worth the risk.
She reached out and touched a wooden crate, feeling the rough surface beneath her fingers.
[You have accessed hidden resource cache! | +10 EXP]
[Loot auto-added: x12 canned food, x6 water canteens, x4 crates of assorted ammunition, x2 tactical backpacks, x1 ripped camouflage tarp, x1 blue-grade first aid kit, x3 sets of worn tactical gear]
Ming Sūlín exhaled slowly, relief mixed with the pressure of what lay ahead.
This wasn't just a stash. It was a lifeline—and a trap.
Despite the danger of more zombies arriving any second, she buzzed with excitement. Level three. She was ready to earn more points and sharpen her skills.
She activated her player module—a translucent blue interface flickering to life before her, hovering like a digital hologram.
📜 PLAYER PROFILE: MING SŪLÍN
• Identity: Ruler / Refugee / Special Identity
• Level: 3
• EXP: 240 / 1200
• Energy: 250 / 250
• Life Value: 130
• World Territory Level: 0 / 10
• Establishments: None
• Territory Defense: Basic defense drones (active)
• Citizens: None
• CP (Citizen Points): None (need citizens to earn)
• Profession: None
• Race: Human
• Skills: Fillet Slicer, Digging Harpole, Triple Dagger Attack (every 100 strikes triggers triple attack)
• Attributes (Base):
• Intellect: 10
• Strength: 10
• Defense: 5
• Charm: 13
• Agility: 7
• Constitution: 4
• Unassigned Attribute Points: 5
• Kill Points: 74
• Wealth: 168 gold, 3,000 silver, 9,700 copper coins
She studied the stats. Numbers didn't tell the full story, but each point marked a hard-earned step toward survival—and power.
With a deep breath, she dismissed the hologram.
No time to waste. She grabbed the backpacks, packed food, water, some weapons, and the first aid kit tight and secure.
She slipped out, checking through a cracked window. The coast was clear.
Making a break for it, she headed straight for the lakeside two-story cabin where everyone waited.
At the door, she knocked twice, staying alert. Shadows danced, but no sudden movements.
The door cracked open just enough for her to squeeze through before shutting tight behind her.
Henry and Derek helped haul the bags inside, eyes scanning for threats.
Only Tally, Jake, Steve, Derek, and Henry were there. Gregory and Margaret were missing.
"Where's Mom and Dad?" Ming Sūlín asked.
"They're upstairs. Mom got bitten by a zombie hound," Derek's voice trembled, his face flushed as he fought back tears.
"Is Dad hurt? What happened while I was gone?" she asked, already heading upstairs with the first aid kit.
Fictional or not, it didn't hurt to try saving them for extra points. After all, she was "Amy," and they were her "parents."
She stopped at their door and looked back at the kids.
"Go downstairs and put away the food and supplies. I'll be back soon after I check on Mom and Dad."
She patted Derek's head and shoulder, then led him up the stairs. Steven and Jake followed without hesitation.
Tally and Henry got a nod—no more. She didn't have time for their attitude.
Closing the door softly behind her, she stepped inside.
"Who's there?" her father's voice called out.
"It's me, Dad. I heard Mom's hurt. I brought a first aid kit," Ming Sūlín answered softly.
"Is everything okay? You okay? And supplies?" Gregory stepped out from near the bed. Margaret lay still, fever burning on her face.
Ming Sūlín looked away from her mother's pale form to her father. He looked older—ragged, like ten years had been added overnight.
She raised the first aid kit. When Gregory reached for it, she pulled back and slipped around him, pushing him toward the door.
"Go downstairs. Rest. Eat something. Take a nap for an hour or two. I'll wake you. Don't worry—I'll watch over Mom and tend to her wound with fever medicine and osbweed."
"But I—"
"No buts," she cut him off sharply.
She pushed him gently but firmly toward the stairs, closing the door behind him before he could change his mind.
Gregory was left speechless.
Inside the room, Ming Sūlín knelt beside the bed, pulled out the fever medicine and osbweed, disinfected her knife with the lighter she'd scavenged earlier, and prepared to treat Margaret's injury carefully.
"Okay, let's get busy, dumb dumb dumb, get busy, dumb dumb dumb…" Ming Sūlín hummed to herself, bobbing her head to the beat and shaking her hips a little as she pulled back the blanket.
Margaret's leg was propped up, a crude wrap of torn rags covering her calf. The smell told Ming Sūlín what she already suspected—this wasn't just a bite—it was a zombie hound bite.
"Mm-hm. Nasty," she muttered.
She grabbed the scissors from the first aid kit, cutting away the filthy cloth until the injury was exposed. Alcohol, disinfectant ointment, the fillet knife… she lit the blade again, the small flame flickering over steel.
Rolling up a towel, she pried open Margaret's mouth and stuffed it inside. "Bite down, or you'll lose more than a leg."
Then she went to work.
The tactical knife was precise, but that didn't make it gentle. Margaret woke mid-cut, her muffled screams shaking the air. Ming Sūlín held her calf steady with one hand and sliced away infected flesh with the other.
Minutes dragged like hours. The wet scrape of steel against rot filled the room. Margaret bit down so hard on the towel it creaked under her teeth.
Finally, Ming Sūlín scraped the last of the infected tissue away. She cleaned the wound, applied ointment, and gave a dab of numbing medicine before wrapping it tight.
The towel came out. In its place, Ming Sūlín slipped a piece of osbweed between Margaret's lips. The effect was instant—Margaret's skin warmed to a healthier pink.
"Good. We're clear." Ming Sūlín exhaled, finally letting her shoulders drop. She packed away the bloodied trash and sealed the kit.
"I'm gonna tell Dad you're fine, check on the others, and bring you some food." She stepped out the room then everything went dark.