Rewards

Shirozou and his gang burst into laughter, seeing Kirk and Little Fatty turn on each other with mocking expressions. Blondie took out the Tyrannosaurus Glasses again, preparing to examine Little Fatty, but discovered two major problems. First, he only had 50 energy points left, having used them all up in one go just now. Second, he could only use them again after 72 hours. He knew that ever since Little Fatty entered the storyline, he had been living a miserable life, a typical short, ugly, and poor guy. With such a money-grubbing big brother, it was no wonder he was so broke.

To put it bluntly, Blondie was used to robbing people, and this was just a "routine" robbery. Seeing how low-key and pathetic the brothers had been, they didn't seem like wealthy individuals, which was why he had been so careless.

He was also eager to continue killing walkers to earn contribution points and naturally didn't want to waste time here. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Kid, remember that Blondie bro saved your lives! If you have any benefits in the future, hand them over immediately, or you're dead! We're leaving!"

As Blondie's team turned to leave, they found Ma Ruiqi's group pointing their guns at them. They immediately drew their own guns and took a standoff.

The atmosphere became tense.

Ma Ruiqi stared at Blondie with a grim expression, "You did this?"

Blondie whistled, "Your Blondie bro did it all!"

Actually, Ma Ruiqi was referring to the series of actions: activating the alarm, attracting walkers, and killing them all. Blondie, however, thought she was referring to killing walkers. He had killed quite a few walkers here, so he naturally took all the credit for himself.

"Who told you to do this?" Ma Ruiqi sternly questioned, "Do you know how much risk this would bring to the team?"

"Kiss my ass!" Blondie also got angry, "You stinking bitch! Don't push your luck! So what if you can seduce Rick! When has Blondie bro's business ever been any of your concern?"

Ma Ruiqi also glanced at Kirk and Little Fatty. She had always suspected that Blondie, with his simple mind and crude actions, couldn't have come up with such an intelligent plan. That very low-key otaku seemed quite suspicious. Could it be that they colluded, with the otaku providing the ideas and Blondie acting as the muscle?

Blondie thought Ma Ruiqi was trying to stick up for Kirk and Little Fatty. He sneered twice and said, "Ma Ruiqi, we've always minded our own business. So what if I robbed these two clean? Don't be so nosy!"

Kirk and Little Fatty looked dejected, appearing like completely robbed Shirozou, their bruised and battered faces incredibly convincing. Ma Ruiqi was stunned. So these two had actually been robbed clean by Blondie. That meant this matter had nothing to do with them, and they could be recruited.

Thus, Ma Ruiqi, channeling various ancient and modern female heroes like Mu Guiying, Liu Hulan, and Hua Mulan, righteously denounced Blondie's illegal actions. She spoke from international relations to the Taiwan issue, from China's economic growth rate to comprehensive social security management, from the team's overall situation to personal feelings, all with tears streaming down her face, making Kirk and Little Fatty fully feel the organization's care.

Blondie had long lost his patience. He pushed Ma Ruiqi and her group aside and swaggered away with his lackeys.

Ma Ruiqi kindly comforted Kirk and Little Fatty, learning about their tragic experience of being robbed clean. She sighed and sincerely invited them to join. Kirk politely declined, using the excuse that he needed to think about it. Ma Ruiqi didn't mind, smiling and saying they could think slowly, and her team would always welcome them. She waved her hand, signaling Kirk and Little Fatty to leave. She then plunged into the control room and the power room, rummaging through everything for good items.

As Kirk and Little Fatty walked out of Zone D, they received a system prompt: "Contractor No. 4444, you have completed the Branch Main Storyline - Capturing the Prison."

"You have killed 355 walkers. You have killed 42% of the walkers in Zone D, earning 42 Base Team Contribution Points!"

"Your temporary team (Kirk and Little Fatty are defaulted as a temporary team by the system) has completed over 70% of the team contribution, with a 70% bonus. Considering the Newbie Trial and difficulty rewards, the bonus has been increased by 100%."

"You have obtained 114 Team Contribution Points, bringing your current cumulative total to 139 Team Contribution Points."

"Little Fatty, did you get the prompt on your end?"

"Big brother, I got the prompt. I killed 251 walkers, accounting for 30% of the total. It's likely that the system defaulted to the team cooperating in the kill when setting the fire, so it was split evenly. However, when completing the Walker Slayer title, participation in the kill is enough, so the numbers are inconsistent. Then, with the team bonus and newbie bonus, I received 81 contribution points!" Little Fatty became excited again, as he hadn't received any contribution points before.

However, the rewards had not finished being distributed when another prompt sounded: "Contractor No. 4444, due to this being a main storyline mission, the system is providing you with a special reward. Calculating..."

"Reward: 5 Skill Potential Points (base reward is 2 potential points, this reward bonus is 270%). 5 Base Attribute Points (base reward is 2 points). 2700 Survival Points (base reward is 1000 survival points)."

Little Fatty also shouted happily, "Big brother, so many survival points, so many skill potential points! We're rich! But why are the rewards being distributed twice?"

"Probably the first is the team reward, and the second is the system reward, with some differences. Don't you think both rewards, as main storyline rewards, aren't too high?"

Little Fatty was shocked, "They're not too high? He asked Kirk again, "Big brother, you said Ma Ruiqi claims to understand the plot very well, Blondie is even more brutal, Sally, the Korean, and the Japanese aren't incompetent either, and others have also gone through life and death. Why didn't they get so many rewards?"

Kirk pondered for a moment, "I summarize it as one sentence: see the big picture and dare to risk your life! What we did all conformed to the main storyline, and the risks were also very high. Plus, we are newbies with very low individual abilities, so the system gave us such generous rewards. It's unlikely we'll encounter such good things again in the future!"

"The system brought us in, like enlisting a batch of new recruits. The Newbie Trial is to test our courage and potential, not to kill us. If you dare to take risks, your gains will naturally be great. If you are timid and fearful, the difficulty will keep increasing, and you'll still die. Only by putting ourselves in a desperate situation and then seeking survival, by seizing every opportunity to strengthen ourselves, can we survive!"

As soon as he finished speaking, as if to verify his point, the system prompt sounded again: "Warning, warning, at 24:00 today, the walkers will undergo a second mutation! Strength, speed, and stamina will increase by another 10%, and their sense of smell, hearing, and sight will continue to improve. The storyline difficulty will increase again, from C to C+. Corresponding reward bonuses will also increase. All contractors, please be prepared!"

Little Fatty looked at his watch. It was 18:00 now, with six hours left.

The two walked out of the prison, chatting and laughing. The NPC team was already waiting for them. Blondie and his group had returned long ago, but their expressions were grim, likely dissatisfied with the results of the main storyline mission rewards. Soon after, Ma Ruiqi's team also returned to the group, her face even darker than the bottom of a pot. Blondie and Ma Ruiqi exchanged glances, and a flash of hatred passed between them, each believing the other had secretly snatched the biggest benefits.

Kirk sighed inwardly. With such a team, how could they have combat effectiveness? The Governor's attack might come at any time; how should they respond?

Rick was completely unaware of this. He walked into the middle of everyone, "I'm very happy that you all showed your skills this time, allowing us to see different results. You have proven your worth. Thank you!"

The newbies exchanged envious, jealous, and hateful glances, patting their hands listlessly.

Green, T-Dog, Andrea, and even Shane praised the newcomers' performance. While the newcomers were acting quickly in Zone D, the NPCs had already cleared the plaza in front of the prison and Zone B. Now, the entire front half of the prison had fallen into the hands of the NPC team.

At this moment, the Japanese boy Ranmaru voluntarily stepped forward and handed Rick a storyline item, the "Prison Key," from the warden's office in Zone A. According to his own account, he had acted alone earlier, breaking into Zone A, where the prison guard walkers were most dense and dangerous, and obtained the key from the warden. It was certain that as an extremely important storyline item, submitting it would definitely yield extremely generous rewards. Indeed, the main NPCs showed expressions of great surprise, and even the usually indifferent Black Blade Woman showed a satisfied expression. Rick also repeatedly patted the cross-dressing boy on the shoulder. Kirk chuckled inwardly, watching with satisfaction as Ma Ruiqi and Blondie's eyes held complex expressions as they looked at the Japanese boy.

It's good to fish in troubled waters.

However, it seemed there were hidden dragons and crouching tigers among the newbies, and this Japanese cross-dresser was no simple person. Zone A was still locked, and the walkers inside would be no fewer than in Zone D, at least around 1000. To charge into the core warden's office in Zone A and kill him to get the key required not only ability but also courage and insight, definitely not something an ordinary newbie could achieve.

Not all the news heard was good. Blondie's team lost one person, a subordinate nicknamed "Hot Dry Noodles," Affies. Sally's team had another casualty, a middle-aged uncle from Latin America named Morsy. The number of newbies continued to decrease. But after waves of elimination, those remaining became stronger and stronger.

Kirk didn't care who died now. He only cared about what the next mission was and how to obtain greater benefits.

He might end up rotting in some forgotten corner one day, who knew?

Cherishing the present and strengthening oneself was important; nothing else mattered.

Rick continued, "Alright, everyone, I want you to listen carefully. With this lovely key, we now possess half of the prison, ensuring our safe operations. Although it's not the whole prison, we are safe. I want every one of you to move into the prison. Let's get moving, quickly!"

The entire team of over 100 people moved. Compared to the dozen or so NPCs who had originally moved into the prison, it was much livelier. Rick, along with Shane and other NPCs, then used the warden's key to lock down all the cleared areas, marking the safe zone. Because the team was large and there were many veterans, the move took a full two hours, and they didn't settle down until after 8 o'clock.

The newbies were again summoned for a meeting by the NPCs, the content of which was, of course, the assignment of tonight's storyline mission. The system prompted again: "Your performance has earned the trust of the NPCs, and they no longer regard you as a burden. Tonight, your mission is [Defend the Prison]. This is your final sanctuary. Reminder: At 24:00 tonight, all walkers will undergo a second mutation, with their abilities further enhanced."

This time, Ma Ruiqi, Blondie, Sally, and the Japanese boy all stepped forward, demanding control over the team's defensive power for the night, causing a chaotic argument. The NPCs also showed serious divisions. Rick supported Ma Ruiqi, Shane strongly backed Blondie, Laurie and Carl supported Sally, and Blade Woman and Doctor Old Man's family all supported the Japanese boy. Kirk was thoroughly enjoying the show when Mori walked over with a serious expression.

Mori sized Kirk up, "Idiot kid, you seem to have gotten a little stronger, more like a man."

Kirk smiled, "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," Mori said gloomily, "I made a small discovery. We are not alone in the prison. I heard movement outside the prison walls, as if there are survivors. Moreover, when Daryl was on patrol, he found footprints outside the prison, not theirs, but theirs."

Kirk raised an eyebrow. "Human?"

"Yes," Daryl said, walking over with his crossbow. "Human. The footprints are very clear and the strides are large, while their steps are disordered and messy, with more dragging marks. So, this conclusion is quite certain."

Kirk's brow furrowed. Clearly, an unidentified group had discovered them and was scouting them out.

Daryl continued, "The footprints belong to at least two people. They arrived by car, a heavier SUV. The tire tread is 20% deeper than a normal SUV, indicating they have equipment and supplies. They came from the highway. This means they are armed, because the highway is heavily infested with walkers, and wandering groups basically don't dare to travel there, preferring to explore along the coastline."

Kirk suggested, "Does Rick know about this?"

"He does. He just said to take another look tomorrow morning, but I can tell he doesn't take it too seriously. Maybe he's confident in the prison's defenses," Daryl shrugged.

A hard-to-describe feeling arose in Kirk's heart. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but overall, this was not good news.

Perhaps the war with The Governor would break out sooner?