Kirk led little fatty through the gloomy prison. American prisons were heavily guarded and had almost no windows. Now that the power system had been destroyed, the lights were out, leaving everything pitch-black. Kirk held a dagger in reverse grip in his left hand and a pistol in his right as he took the lead. Little fatty wasn't brave, but seeing his big brother out in front gave him confidence. He followed in silence, gripping a steel shovel. His master, T-Dog, had given it to him. It was a Whiteboard mutant weapon with average Attack Power, but it could chop off a walker's head, pin one by the neck, or sever its rotting legs. As a long-handled weapon, it was ideal for fighting walkers.
They passed through one cellblock after another. Little fatty saw that many cell doors had been opened, and numerous prisoners lay outside their cells with their hands tied behind their backs and blindfolds over their eyes.
"Big brother, what happened here?"
"They were executed by the prison guards when the disaster first began," Kirk said calmly.
"These Americans are ruthless!" Little fatty was terrified. He was just a shut-in, and the sight of corpses everywhere chilled him to the bone.
"Where exactly are we going?" Little fatty moved a little closer.
"To the generator room." Kirk smiled.
"But it's broken, right?" Little fatty seemed to know the story well; at the very least, he'd watched the American Drama. "Why are we going there?"
"Tell me, what does clearing out the prison mean?"
"Killing walkers. Once they're all dead, the mission's complete."
"The walkers are hiding in dark corners now. It would take a long time to find them, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah." Little fatty nodded. "It's a huge area, and it's so dark. Walkers don't make any noise, so we'd have to search room by room to find them. We might not even find them all by nightfall, and the mission has a time limit."
"But the walkers will come to us," Kirk said with the air of a wise mystic.
"You mean set off the alarm? Like that little villain in the story who framed the Plot Characters?" Little fatty grew excited, but then his face fell. "Big brother, if we set off the alarm, the walkers will be drawn to the loudspeaker. But first, the loudspeaker's outside. And second, can just the two of us take on that many walkers?"
"I secretly took the loudspeaker down and put it in my inventory. You can bring in things that have no value into the imprint space, as long as they fit." Kirk laughed.
"As for your second question, I've already thought about it. Ma Ruiqi did at least one good thing just now: she lured a large number of the prison's walkers over to the camp, where they were killed. There shouldn't be many left in the prison now. The Plot Characters have isolated Zone D, so there should be even fewer walkers inside. Otherwise, the space wouldn't send rookies like us to die in a dark, cramped place that obviously favors the walkers. Besides, we can use the terrain to our advantage."
"But, big brother, there's another problem. Neither of us is an electrician. How are we supposed to fix the generator?"
"In the story, a dangerous troublemaker with ulterior motives secretly repaired the generator, set off the alarm, and drew all the nearby walkers to the prison. Then he cut through the Protection Net, directly causing the deaths of Laurie, the story's heroine, and many other Plot Characters. It must be an important potential story branch. The space wouldn't assign us a mission we couldn't complete. There must be spare parts and a manual in the generator room," Kirk reasoned.
Little fatty nodded repeatedly. "Big brother, I was right to follow you. I knew this story too—how come I never thought of doing it this way?"
The two of them continued on, searching through the pitch-black cellblocks. Although it was daytime, the darkness seemed to give the walkers a natural advantage. They relied mainly on their senses of smell and hearing, so darkness didn't hinder them. They also received the same boosts to speed, vitality, and stamina at night, making them a considerable threat to humans.
Kirk continued to fight with his gun at range and his knife up close, while little fatty used a tactical flashlight to light their way and stepped in with his steel shovel if there were too many walkers. Kirk had already told him about the bonus rewards and skill boosts for killing walkers in close combat. Thinking his big brother was loyal, little fatty swung the shovel with growing enthusiasm. The two were awkward at first, but their teamwork improved with every fight.
Little fatty kicked open a door. Inside were three walkers in prison guard uniforms. The one by the door hadn't even reacted before little fatty brought his shovel down from behind and knocked its head off. Another lunged at him greedily, only for a bullet to fly in and smash its head with a crack. Kirk followed with a move like Iron Mountain Lean, slamming into the third walker as it charged. It stumbled backward, and Kirk immediately drove a dagger up through its chin and into its skull. Black, filthy blood sprayed out. The walker struggled, gurgling, for a moment, then died for good.
Little fatty wiped his face. "Big brother, this must be the generator room we're looking for, right?"
Kirk looked around. "Don't let your guard down. Keep an eye on your surroundings; there may still be walkers hiding." Little fatty nodded, then suddenly ran over and rummaged beneath a walker. He pulled out a Light Blue key.
It was the first key Kirk had ever seen besides a White key. This one was Light Blue, with a metallic sheen and a soft glow. It was fundamentally different from an ordinary-looking White key.
Kirk and little fatty stared at the key without blinking. Little fatty reluctantly handed it over. "Big brother, here you go!"
"You found it. You open it."
"Big brother, I know the rules. You're the leader, so you should open it."
"If I say you should open it, then open it. We fought together, so we split everything evenly. That's how we'll do things from now on," Kirk said firmly.
Little fatty froze. He'd heard from a few other rookies that Blondie usually took the biggest share, then split the rest among the others—and Blondie got first pick, too. It was much the same with Ma Ruiqi: even when the others hunted on their own, they still had to pay tribute to her. Even Sally, who'd been fairer yesterday, had taken half.
Now his big brother wanted to split the loot evenly with him. He was just a follower, a kid brother. Little fatty flushed. "Big brother, I know you're generous, but I'm serious. If you respect me, you take sixty percent and I'll take forty. Otherwise, we go our separate ways. I can't accept an even split. We won't last as a team if you do that."
Kirk nodded. Little fatty was not only loyal and grateful; he also knew his place and understood the rules. He was a good brother. Kirk had meant it when he offered to split things evenly, but little fatty was serious, too, so he agreed.
Nervously, little fatty opened the key. A flash of Light Blue light passed, and he pulled a pair of Light Blue boots out of thin air. Both men were delighted and hurried to check their stats.
[Gonzalez's Feather Boots]
The halfling "Flying Legs" Gonzalez was a famous thief in Silvermoon City. His success wasn't just thanks to his almost imperceptible Skillful Hands; he also had a pair of legs that could run incredibly fast. After every successful theft, Gonzalez would race through the streets, shouting brazenly, "Come and catch me!" But after the city lord's most treasured Pearl necklace was stolen, Gonzalez was caught, and the captain of the city guard took his boots. At last, everyone discovered the secret behind his "Flying Legs."
[Type]: Light boots
[Slot]: Feet
[Weight]: 3 pounds
[Effect]: Agility +2, movement speed +30%, evasion +5%
These were very practical boots and would be worth quite a lot. Honestly, getting a Light Blue key from an ordinary walker was lucky enough. Getting such a top-tier piece of Light Blue equipment from it was even luckier.
How to split it became a problem. First, they were both beginners and hadn't entered the space yet, so it was hard to determine the equipment's value. Second, little fatty didn't think either of them had enough Survival Points to buy it. He frankly suggested that Kirk equip the boots first and they appraise them after returning to the space, then give him forty percent of their value. Kirk shook his head and transferred 2,000 Survival Points to him.
Little fatty stared at him, dumbfounded. "Big brother, you're amazing. This is a rookie trial scenario, and I haven't spent a single Survival Point. I've only saved up less than 500 so far. And you just handed over 2,000. You really are something, big brother."
Kirk smiled modestly. "These boots are valuable. Two thousand might not even cover forty percent of their worth. We'll appraise them once we're in the space, then I'll make up the difference."
Little fatty shook his head again and again. "Big brother, it's definitely more than enough. Judging from what we've seen so far, Survival Points must be precious. One walker is worth just 2 points, and killing one up close only gets you 3. Walkers aren't quite as strong as rookies, but without preparation, they could easily kill one. The risk isn't small. Those 2,000 points would be enough to kill 1,000 walkers. They're definitely worth more than forty percent of these boots."
Kirk patted little fatty on the shoulder and accepted the boots. Once he equipped them, his legs really did feel much lighter. His walking and running speeds had both increased by thirty percent. They were extremely useful, with a valuable 2 points of Agility and 5% evasion as well. They were an excellent weapon, whether in close or ranged combat. Judging by their impressive stats, they were certainly worth a lot.
Little fatty cried out in surprise. "Big brother, look!" Kirk went over. Little fatty was already waving a booklet excitedly. It was the generator repair manual. They kept searching and found spare generator parts in the equipment storage room. Little fatty was amazed that Kirk had been so certain. Kirk smiled. "Where are we?"
"The prison."
"What's the most important thing in a prison?"
"Making sure the prisoners don't escape."
"Exactly. The cell doors need power to keep prisoners locked up, the electric fence needs power to prevent people from climbing over it, the large searchlights need power, and so does communication with the outside. So, when the power goes out, the generator is crucial. Many American prisons have backup generators. Even if there weren't spare parts here, there'd definitely be a backup generator." Kirk wore the expression of a mystic.
Little fatty finally understood. A true master!
"Don't look at me like that. I just thought of it. But we still need to make a series of preparations before we can move on."
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