Jie Xi stared intently at the screen for a while before slowly shifting her gaze to Wang Zhi.
"First, I must say you have great resolve, which I admire. Secondly, the situation outside is chaotic; most humans have been turned into Zombies. Their fatal wound is the head, or severing the head will render them immobile."
As Jie Xi spoke, she pushed a rolled-up map in front of Wang Zhi.
"This is a distribution map of S University; you might find it useful. Lastly, I hope you can return safely and create greater value for the Dawn Tower!"
Wang Zhi was somewhat overwhelmed by the favor and quickly stood up to accept the map.
"Thank you, Captain Jie Xi. If we return safely, we will definitely treat you to a meal!"
"Good. Go back and prepare."
The corner of Captain Jie Xi's mouth lifted slightly. Wang Zhi was stunned for a moment; this was the first time he had seen any expression on her face. In his memory, this woman had always been expressionless, like a mask.
Wang Zhi left the room with the map. Jie Xi's action was undoubtedly timely aid; with the distribution map of S University, they could understand the layout of the buildings on campus.
Wang Zhi returned to the room and spread out the map. Everyone gathered around.
"Where is this map from?" Fatty asked.
"This is a distribution map of S University. Captain Jie Xi just gave it to us," Wang Zhi explained.
"Oh? Why is she being so nice to you? I haven't seen any other department captains give you anything. Why is it specifically that blonde woman? Aha! Could it be that she has a crush on you, little brother?" Ying said sarcastically from the side.
"What are you talking about, Sister Ying? After all, we are the first team to go out. We can't just go in blind and get wiped out outside, can we? If we manage to return, it's a contribution to Dawn Tower," Wang Zhi said.
"The problem now is how we get there, and how we get back?" Old He said, frowning at the map of S University.
"Right! How do we get there? We don't even know where we are right now, how can we go?" Fatty slapped his thigh and said.
"That... let's ask Ling Lingyao. Ling Lingyao, what is the way to reach the mission destination?"
[Querying mission]
[Analyzing mission]
[Analysis successful. For the first deployment, you can take a helicopter directly there. For extraction, please improvise. The nearest stronghold is located northeast of the destination.]
After Ling Lingyao finished speaking, the screen displayed a map of S City with a flashing point on it.
Everyone quickly recorded the map information.
"Helicopter? I never thought my first time riding a helicopter would be in the Apocalypse!" Fatty remarked.
"Taking a helicopter can indeed avoid the dangers on our way there, but it will be a bit troublesome when we need to bring others back with us," Old He commented.
"Can we drive when we evacuate?" Wang Zhi suddenly asked.
"Drive? That depends on us having a car first," Ying replied.
"When the time comes, we'll just find a car. It doesn't matter if there are no keys; I can crack the car's built-in master code to power it up. That's an achievement I finalized right before the Apocalypse," Wang Zhi stated.
"Driving is certainly preferable, but as we saw on the screen in the lobby, the roads are almost completely jammed. Driving might not work for us. Why don't we just walk back? As for whether that group can hold out until we reach the stronghold, that will be up to their own luck," Ying offered her thought.
"No! If that's the case, what is the purpose of us going to rescue them? Are we just treating them as a tool to acquire Survival Points?" Old He quickly objected.
"What's wrong, Uncle? Do you think you're some kind of savior? Deciding who to save on a whim? If you're determined to risk your life to save them, we won't stop you," Ying retorted dismissively.
Old He gritted his teeth and said no more. He knew they had to prioritize self-preservation right now, yet as a soldier, witnessing others perish without offering aid was his greatest disgrace.
"We will attempt to drive first. If we are blocked, we will get out and proceed on foot. As for protecting them, just do your best, but absolutely do not sacrifice your own life. Everyone rest now. Tomorrow we will prepare the necessary gear for the excursion," Wang Zhi concluded, rising to use the restroom for a quick wash before lying down and falling asleep.
September 30, 2025, Overcast.
The thick fog outside had dissipated. Zombies roamed everywhere—on the roads, inside the buildings, in every corner of the World. The usual daytime clamor of people and the honking of cars were gone from the streets. It was as if the entire World had hit the pause button; everything had fallen silent!
Ring ring ring~
Wang Zhi woke up, turned off the alarm he had set beforehand, and switched on the room light. For them, this was the start of a new day.
Wang Zhi planned to improve today's breakfast. Eating biscuits and bread every day, they were almost forgetting what hot meals tasted like.
Soon after, Wang Zhi returned to the room carrying a bag full of large meat buns.
"Here, three for each of you," Wang Zhi said while distributing the large meat buns to the three others.
"Mmm... Delicious! Why didn't I realize before how tasty these lousy buns were?" Fatty mumbled through a large bite.
"We still have over a day left. After we finish eating, let's see what else we need to buy and spend all our Survival Points. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, it'll be a huge loss," Wang Zhi stated.
"Captain Wang is right. If we die and haven't spent all our money, we won't die contentedly," Fatty agreed, nodding in assent.
"Right! Sister Ying, did you bring the gun silencer?" Wang Zhi asked.
"I brought it. It's in my bag. Are you worried the sound might attract Zombies?"
"Yes, they shouldn't have vision; they mainly rely on smell and hearing to catch prey. So our firearms must be equipped with silencers, otherwise, the sound of firing will be too loud and attract all the surrounding Zombies." Wang Zhi analyzed.
"I didn't bring one," Old He said.
"Okay, we'll buy some later then."
After the meal, Wang Zhi and the other three went to the Armory Hall. First, they bought two silencers matching Old He's handgun model, totaling 20 [Survival Points]. Each person was allocated 500 rounds of ammunition, totaling 100 Survival Points.
Wang Zhi and the other three already possessed a Dagger, so they didn't look at them again.
Afterward, the four purchased four sets of tight-fitting biochemical combat suits, which included gas masks and protective night-vision goggles. The combat suits were synthesized from high-molecular fiber, possessing excellent toughness and dimensional stability. The four sets totaled 400 Survival Points.
The biochemical combat suits required custom tailoring. The salesperson took the body measurements of the four people and said, "We will deliver the clothes to your residence one day from now. Please wait with peace of mind."
Wang Zhi considered that they still lacked some large-area destructive weapons. When encountering a horde of Zombies, relying only on handguns and melee combat definitely wouldn't work. Thinking of this, Wang Zhi added 3 fragmentation grenades and 3 incendiary grenades for each person, totaling 80 Survival Points.
"Is there anything else you need to buy? Think it over," Wang Zhi said.
"Adrenaline Hormone," Old He stated.
"Adrenaline Hormone? What's it for?" Fatty asked.
"Adrenaline, it strengthens myocardial contractility, increases excitability, accelerates conduction, and boosts cardiac output. To put it simply, after exhaustion, one shot will make you jump around lively again," Old He briefly educated Fatty.
"Holy crap! Then why did we only buy one for each person? We should buy a few more!"
Wang Zhi rolled his eyes at Fatty. "Overdrawing your energy brings a much stronger feeling of weakness, perhaps even shock. Are you trying to die?"
"I see. Then is there anything else we need to buy?"
"Let's go buy some tools," Ying stated.
The four of them ended up buying 4 units of Adrenaline Hormone, 4 Grappling Hooks, 30 meters of steel wire rope, and 4 combat backpacks, totaling 70 Survival Points.
"Uh... We still have 700 Survival Points left. Is there really nothing else to buy?" Wang Zhi said while looking at the balance.
He himself hadn't expected to have this much left over. Looking at it this way, eating here was slightly more expensive than gunpowder.
"Since there's so much left, let's buy another Dagger," Ying spoke up.
"Daggers? Don't we all already have Daggers?" Wang Zhi looked at Ying doubtfully.
"They might break eventually. After cutting so many people, they'll quickly become chipped. The Dagger I saw uses pretty good material; I won't say it can cut through iron, but it's more than sufficient for cutting a person."
As the few people spoke, they arrived at the place Ying had mentioned.
Wang Zhi examined the sample of the Dagger. It had a golden blade, double-edged, and its smooth surface gave off a sharp feeling. Next to it was a custom sheath for the Dagger, and beside that was the price tag of 100 Survival Points...