Lin Feng stayed under the desk.
The zombie clone stood guard. It was a silent statue. It did not breathe. It only smelled of damp earth.
The office was now quiet. The screams had moved to other floors. Distant crashes echoed through the building. Lin Feng ignored them. He focused on the screens in his vision.
He minimized the main blue system screen. It was for everyone. It showed his level and a quest log.
He focused on the green screen. His screen. The Idle Apocalypse System.
It had a simple layout; A central map, A resource panel, A command log and a menu bar at the top.
The map showed the tenth floor of his office building. His yellow dot was stationary. His zombie's green dot was right on top of him. Several red dots moved in other rooms and the stairwell.
The resource panel was simple.
[Idle Points (IP): 10/100]
[Basic Materials: 0]
[Food: 0]
[Water: 0]
The command log showed the last entry.
[23:14:07 - Asset Z-001 defeated Low-Grade Goblin. +25 EXP. +10 IP.]
So he got Idle Points from actions. Good.
He opened the main menu.
[Idle Apocalypse System - Ver 0.1]
1. Asset Management
2. Task Assignment
3. Construction & Upgrades
4. Research & Evolution
5. System Settings
He selected Asset Management.
A new screen opened. It showed a single entry.
[Asset ID: Z-001]
[Type: Basic Zombie Clone]
[Status: Active - Guarding Host]
[HP: 85/100]
[Durability: 72/100]
[Skills: None]
[Upkeep: 1 IP per 24h]
Upkeep. So his assets cost points just to exist. He had 10 points. This clone would consume 1 point per day. He needed to earn more.
He went back. He selected Task Assignment.
This menu showed the map again. He could select his zombie. A list of tasks appeared.
[Available Tasks for Z-001]
- Guard Host (Current)
- Patrol Designated Area
- Farm Basic Materials (Scavenge Mode)
- Hunt Designated Hostiles
The "Farm" option was grayed out. A tooltip appeared.
[Requires: Resource Node within patrol range. No viable nodes detected.]
He needed to find a node. The "Hunt" option was available. He could send his zombie to fight the other red dots on the floor.
Lin Feng thought about it. Sending his only protector away was stupid. But he needed resources. He needed points.
A new plan was formed. A cautious one.
He selected Z-001 on the map. He clicked Patrol Designated Area. He used his finger to draw a small box on the map. It covered the hallway outside his office and the nearby copy room. He set the patrol route.
[Task Assigned: Z-001 will patrol the designated area. Engaging in hostilities is permitted. Looting is permitted.]
[Cost: 0 IP]
The zombie clone stirred. It turned. It shuffled out of the office cubicle. It moved into the hallway. Lin Feng watched its green dot move on the map. It started a slow, looping walk.
He was alone again. The silence felt heavier.
He pulled his knees tighter. He watched the map.
The green dot moved down the hall. A red dot appeared around a corner. A [Hostile - Giant Rat]. The dots moved toward each other.
Lin Feng held his breath.
The dots met. The command log updated.
[23:21:15 - Asset Z-001 engaged Giant Rat.]
[23:21:47 - Asset Z-001 defeated Giant Rat.]
[EXP Gain: +10]
[IP Gain: +5]
[Loot Acquired: Rat Meat x2, Rat Tail x1.]
His IP counter ticked up to 15. His EXP bar filled a little.
The zombie continued its patrol. It entered the copy room. The room where the first goblin had been. The log updated again.
[23:23:01 - Asset Z-001 is looting.]
[Loot Acquired: Wood (from broken chair) x5, Low-Grade Paper x10, Plastic x3.]
[Basic Materials Updated.]
Lin Feng let out a slow breath. It was working. The system was working. He was gaining resources without moving.
He opened the Construction & Upgrades menu. Most options were locked. One was available.
[Basic Structures]
- Hidden Cache (Cost: 20 Wood, 10 IP)
Description: A small, concealed storage space. Accessible only by host and assigned assets. Prevents resource decay.
He didn't have enough wood. Or IP.
His zombie continued to patrol. It found a broken water cooler. It looted [Filtered Water x4].
An hour passed. Lin Feng watched the map. His zombie fought two more giant rats. It looted a broken cabinet. His resources grew.
[Idle Points (IP): 28/100]
[Basic Materials: Wood x22, Plastic x8, Low-Grade Metal x5]
[Food: Rat Meat x2]
[Water: Filtered Water x4]
He had had enough. He opened the construction menu again. He selected Hidden Cache.
A prompt appeared.
[Select Location on Map.]
He zoomed the map out slightly. He needed a place no one would check. Somewhere near, but not in his office. He saw a janitor's closet at the end of the hall. It was small. It was insignificant.
He placed the marker there.
[Construct Hidden Cache at designated location? Cost: 20 Wood, 10 IP. Y/N]
He selected Y.
On the map, he saw his zombie's patrol route break. The green dot moved toward the janitor's closet. It stopped inside.
The log was updated.
[23:47:33 - Asset Z-001 has begun construction: Hidden Cache. Estimated time: 15 minutes.]
Lin Feng waited. He listened to the distant sounds of the game world. Sirens. Occasional monster roars. He was safe. For now.
Fifteen minutes later.
[00:02:11 - Construction Complete: Hidden Cache (Lv. 1) at Janitorial Closet B-10.]
[Storage Capacity: 50 Slots.]
A new icon appeared on his map. A small chest symbol.
He selected his zombie. He opened its inventory. It was carrying all the looted materials. He selected Transfer to Cache. The materials vanished from the zombie's inventory. They were now safe.
He now had a secret stockpile. No one else knew.
A wave of tiredness hit him. The adrenaline was fading. He was sitting on a hard floor. He was thirsty.
He commanded his zombie to return to him. It shuffled back into the office and resumed its guard position.
Lin Feng made a decision. He needed to rest. He needed to think.
He opened the system settings. He found an option.
[Host Status Monitoring: Enable Sleep Mode?]
[While in Sleep Mode, the system will manage idle assets based on the last assigned tasks. Host will be alerted for major events.]
He enabled it.
A final notification appeared.
[Daily Upkeep Calculated.]
[Asset Z-001 Upkeep: -1 IP]
[Hidden Cache Upkeep: -1 IP]
[Current IP: 16/100]
He still earned more than he spent. Good.
He looked at his silent, rotting bodyguard. He looked at the dark office.
He had a system. He had an asset. He had a hidden stash.
He was not powerful. But he had a chance.
Lin Feng closed his eyes. He did not sleep deeply. He slept like a prey animal. But he slept.
The Idle Apocalypse System watched over him. His zombie stood guard. On the map, the red dots of monsters moved. They did not come near his office.
For the first night of the apocalypse, Lin Feng survived by doing nothing at all.