I Have Already Helped You

Streetside, residential area, seventh floor.

Inside the apartment.

A computer hummed as a young man sat before it, his hands flying across the mouse and keyboard with a rhythmic clatter.

On the screen was League of Legends, a game beloved by many youths.

A voice blared from the speakers.

"Three against one, do you even know how to play? I countered and killed them, escaped with a sliver of health—brothers, tell me, am I awesome or what?"

"Awesome... (voice cracking)"

"Do you guys hear that noise outside? It's so loud, sounds like a car crash, and there's all this honking."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just push, one wave, one wave..."

Lin Fan stood up calmly, walked to the water dispenser to pour a glass, and stood before the balcony, looking down at the street.

A crowd of people was running in a panic, pursued by others behind them.

Those who fell to the ground never got back up.

Cars swerved erratically, crashing into storefronts.

"Are they all on drugs?"

He returned to the computer, took a sip of water, put on his headset, and communicated with his teammates.

"Would you believe me if I said there's a group of people downstairs acting like maniacs, cars crashing everywhere, and the whole scene is total chaos?"

One teammate replied, "Big brother, I just saw the news reports—people are turning into zombies."

"Zombies? Are they really that rampant? Forget it for now, let's just push, one wave is all it takes. Hey, Marksman, what the hell are you standing there for? Push the tower!" another teammate shouted irritably.

"Ah, help, don't bite me! I'm the Marksman, let me push the tower!" a gaming-addicted teammate screamed, followed by a gut-wrenching shriek.

Lin Fan said calmly, "Are there really zombies?"

The teammate replied, "Zombie my ass, they've all turned into monsters. Forget him, I'll push the tower myself. Once this is over, I'm going to play a CF zombie map and blast all these guys to bits."

The commotion outside grew louder, but Lin Fan gripped his mouse and continued the game, neither caring nor asking further.

Not long after, more screams echoed through the headset, accompanied by guttural roars.

"Damn it, what the hell is wrong with you guys? We're just playing a tower-pushing game, and I get stuck with a bunch of kids who can't even avoid getting caught by their parents? This is so damn annoying." The only remaining teammate was furious.

"Maybe they really did encounter zombies?" Lin Fan said.

The remaining teammate retorted, "Zombie my ass. All you do is fantasize all day long. Can't you be a bit more realistic?"

"I know your girlfriend is right there with you," Lin Fan said.

A lewd voice came through the headset, "Heh heh, you're a real brother, aren't you? That's right, you guys push the towers, and I'm pushing my tower too."

"You're going to get bitten by your girlfriend," Lin Fan warned.

"Heh heh, brother, you're truly wicked to say something like that, you rascal..."

"Ah!"

"What are you doing?"

"Let go, let go!"

"Are you f***ing crazy?"

From the other end of the headset came a miserable cry.

Bang! Bang!

The sound of furniture colliding and bodies falling.

Followed by the sound of gnawing.

"It really is like this." Lin Fan stared at the screen. None of the players were moving—not his teammates, not the enemies. He controlled his hero, followed the minion wave, and pushed toward the base.

It wasn't time yet.

He tore down a tower and headed straight for the Nexus.

Bang!

The Nexus shattered.

He won the game, and the end-screen appeared.

"I really have been reborn."

Lin Fan leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the game screen.

He felt that he had been reborn, though he wasn't entirely certain.

To confirm it, he had played a round of League of Legends just as he had before his rebirth, matched with the same teammates, without changing his way of speaking, and saying the exact same things to them as he had the first time.

The events that transpired along the way were identical.

The chaotic crowds in the streets, the cars crashing wildly.

His teammates in the game let out screams one after another.

The fate of his four teammates was exactly the same as what he had previously experienced.

He was certain that he had been reborn; once the game ended, the system would arrive.

I won't let it happen this way again. I am already prepared.

[Detection]

[Little Assistant at your service]

[Name]: Lin Fan.

[Strength]: 10. (Standard)

[Physique]: 10. (Standard)

[Speed]: 10. (Standard)

[Points]: 0.

Looking at the interface before him, it felt very familiar, and his heart settled significantly.

Exactly the same, without any changes.

Bang, bang, bang, bang...

Urgent knocking sounded at the door.

"Lin Fan, open the door, open the door quickly!" A crisp female voice came from outside.

According to the situation before his rebirth, the woman knocking outside was his neighbor, Liu Weiwei—tall, beautiful, with a curvaceous figure and perfect curves, she was one of the great beauties.

She had many men pursuing her.

Even he had been tempted once; after all, everyone likes beautiful girls.

Before his rebirth, the moment he received the system was the moment of his death, because he had opened the door for Liu Weiwei.

Liu Weiwei's neck was bleeding, bitten by something.

He hadn't known that the thing was a zombie, and that those bitten would turn into zombies themselves.

He had been very worried about her condition and went to find a medical kit to bandage her.

While bandaging her, he was tackled to the ground by Liu Weiwei, who bit his neck, tore open his chest, and feasted on his flesh and organs.

I already know all of this. I have more important things to do; I cannot die.

In the kitchen.

Lin Fan picked up a kitchen knife, hid it behind his back, and walked to the door.

"What is it?"

He opened the security door.

The Liu Weiwei before him was still beautiful, but the wound on her neck was dripping with blood.

Her stunning face was filled with panic, yet it gave off a strange sensation, remaining just as alluring.

"There is a group of lunatics outside, biting anyone they see." Even in her panic, her voice remained soft and melodious, capable of stirring a desire to protect in anyone's heart.

Lin Fan did not let her in. "Your neck is bleeding."

In her flustered state, Liu Weiwei kept glancing toward the stairwell.

"Let me in, please. I lost my keys while I was running away."

Lin Fan shook his head. "Your neck was bitten. You are going to turn into a zombie that bites people."

"Ah?" Liu Weiwei was terrified, grabbing his arm and saying pitifully, "You will help me, won't you?"

"Yes, I can help you. Close your eyes," Lin Fan said with a smile.

"Thank you. As long as you help me, I'll do anything you want." Liu Weiwei said with a sob, emphasizing the word "anything" as if it were a condition.

When Liu Weiwei closed her eyes.

Lin Fan swung his arm, and the sharp kitchen knife slashed toward her neck.

Squelch!

Blood sprayed out, and the white wall was stained red.

"There, I've helped you. This way, you won't turn into a zombie that bites people."

Looking at the corpse on the floor, he silently closed the security door.

Lin Fan leaned his back against the door, holding the blood-dripping knife. He felt neither sorrow nor joy, his expression calm, as if he had just done something very ordinary.

His composure was frightening, as if his fear and emotions had dissipated, or perhaps he had become numb after seeing himself eaten by a zombie?

[Potential zombie killed]

[Points gained +1]

"Points increased by one, huh?"

"So this is the effect of the Little Assistant; killing zombies grants points."

He stared at the interface.

Points could be added to Strength, Physique, and Speed.

After a moment of thought.

He added the points to Strength.

[Strength]: 11.

Immediately after adding the points, he felt a slight reaction, as if he were just a little bit stronger than before.

Suddenly.

There was a sound outside the door—the sound of gnawing and swallowing, along with the thudding of something colliding against the security door.

Gripping a kitchen knife, he opened the security door.

Outside, a zombie was crouched there, gnawing on Liu Weiwei's body. Her clothes were torn to shreds, and her chest was a bloody, mangled mess—a truly horrific sight.

He knew who the creature was.

He was also a resident here.

He lived on the eighth floor and was a programmer.

Thin and frail, wearing glasses, and quite young, he had a receding hairline; perhaps it was the nature of his profession that had made him go bald so early.

He also knew that the man had a crush on Liu Weiwei.

He had a habit of stalking her.

He would often wait at the entrance of the residential complex for Liu Weiwei to get off work, then follow her upstairs.

The noise of the door opening startled the programmer as he feasted on the corpse.

The programmer stopped eating and stared at Lin Fan, rolling his gray-white eyeballs as disgusting bits of flesh dripped from his mouth.

"Roar!"

The programmer lunged at Lin Fan.

"What are you roaring for?"

Lin Fan raised his hand and brought the knife down. The blade was sharp, cleaving into the creature's skull with a sickening squelch. As he pulled the knife out, the programmer collapsed to the ground.

With that one point added to Strength, he could feel his power had increased; it felt easier than before.

[Zombie Killed]

[Points Gained +1]

He looked quietly toward the stairwell, but it was silent, without a single sound.

He closed the security door once more.

Zombies had truly appeared.

He wanted to know if Huang City was still alright.

He hoped it could remain as it once was.

Because...