Rescue Information

"Boom—"

"Boom!"

As the first explosion rang out, one helicopter after another circled overhead. Explosions and gunfire erupted across City X in succession. This was the government troops' counterattack against the zombies!

At the same time, everyone received a rescue message from the City X government.

[Dear compatriots, we regret to inform you that the virus outbreak has paralyzed transportation throughout the city. The entire city has now fallen, and the situation is dire. Rescue efforts are progressing slowly, and we must mobilize to save ourselves! We have dispatched Helicopters to draw away most of the zombies, and rescue teams have also been sent into the city to search for survivors. We hope everyone will seize this opportunity to head to the temporary shelter established at South City Airport, where we will organize an evacuation! Those who are able may proceed there on their own! Let us help one another and overcome this crisis together!]

The moment Ye Zhao received the message, she tried connecting to the internet again. Unfortunately, it was the same as before.

What was going on? There was clearly a network, so why couldn't she connect?

The shop owner and the others were already discussing what to do. Someone suggested going there themselves. After the first round of clearing, more than half the zombies on the streets had been eliminated. Now should be the safest time to travel.

Others wanted to stay and wait for rescue. "It's too dangerous outside! The government troops have already taken action. They'll definitely kill all those zombies. We just need to wait for them to save us!"

"Yeah, there's no need for us to take risks. We just need to send a few capable people out to find food and bring it back."

Someone immediately said, "Even if we go out and find food, we won't share it with anyone who hasn't contributed."

"...Isn't that too selfish?"

The shop owner said, "If you think we're selfish, then go find food and bring it back to share with us. Prove how noble you are."

"Exactly. Anyone can talk big, but the moment something happens, you cower in the back and make others charge into danger for you. I'm not your mother. Why the hell should I spoil you?"

The man was left speechless. He did not dare offend the shop owner, so he could only retreat to the back in silence.

Ye Zhao did not join the discussion. She leaned against the window and observed her surroundings. Thinking of the scene from her precognitive vision, she felt it made little difference whether she went to the shelter or not. If she could not leave the city, her best choice was to find a safe place and survive for ten days. The fewer people around, the better.

But only places with lots of people would allow her to encounter more Players and Scan more game items.

Game items were her capital for staying alive. The Initial Trial should be the easiest one; the later instances would only become harder and harder.

Fortune was found in danger.

Ye Zhao decided to make a trip to South City Airport before leaving the city. It was on the way anyway.

She took out a map and studied it for a while, confirming her route out of the city. She only hoped the roads would not be too jammed so that she could get out today.

She then used her binoculars to observe the Player team in the building across from her, wanting to see what they planned to do next. Her top priority was still getting the Infinite Pistol.

Sure enough, not long afterward, a long rope was lowered from upstairs. It seemed they planned to descend directly from the windows. Fortunately, their floor was not very high, and there were plenty of curtains. Tearing them up and twisting them into a rope over twenty meters long was more than enough.

The people on Ye Zhao's side became excited the moment they saw movement from the ability-user team across the street. Even several survivors who had originally advocated staying behind were now eager to leave with them. After all, they had personally seen people in that team throw fireballs and lightning. They were far more formidable than this group.

The first to come down were the two ability users. He Fei and Sang Xiaoqi unleashed lightning and fireballs, quickly clearing out the scattered zombies still wandering nearby. Seeing this, the people upstairs breathed a sigh of relief. Those who had been hesitating and too afraid to move hurriedly clutched curtains and slid down one after another.

The shop owner said excitedly, "Hurry up and pack! We'll follow behind them!"

With big shots clearing the way ahead, anyone who did not follow them would be an idiot.

They did not have much to pack. They merely found plastic bags and cloths to wrap around their necks and arms. Aside from a few fruit knives and scissors held by the shop owner and several employees, most of their weapons were table legs removed from tables. No wonder they had coveted the gun in Ye Zhao's hands.

By the time this side was mostly ready, the seven or eight people from the Player team had finally slid down from upstairs. Fortunately, though they were frightened, they were not scared into screaming and attracting unnecessary zombie attention.

The people from the barbershop threw open the door and rushed outside, all wanting to get closer to the ability users. They even took the initiative to pledge allegiance and loyalty to them. At a time like this, everyone wanted to establish some connection, hoping to find out exactly how they had awakened their abilities and rise to the peak of life from then on.

This hastily assembled team fell apart in an instant.

Ye Zhao went downstairs with a watermelon knife in hand. She saw the shop owner and the barbers under him take the initiative to approach Duan Chen's group and negotiate. She did not know what they said, but the shop owner and his men had clearly latched onto the man with the Infinite Pistol, even calling him Big Brother.

Ye Zhao also squeezed her way forward.

She was fast and strong. If she pushed a little, she could still get through.

[Scan successful: Create 1000-Pistol ×1. Required Creation Points: 100.]

[Scan successful: Create Lightning Strike-Elemental Card ×1. Required Creation Points: 100.]

[Lightning Strike-Elemental Card: Can release 100 lightning strikes measuring 3–5 cm.]

It was not an Infinite Pistol after all. Ye Zhao could not help feeling disappointed.

Her objective achieved, Ye Zhao inconspicuously retreated. In any case, she had no intention of acknowledging other Players.

The group set off just like that. With the first group taking the lead, several more batches of survivors joined them along the way.

Soon, their team of around twenty people became one of over fifty. Unfortunately, aside from the three she had noticed earlier, there were no other Players among those fifty-plus people.

With so many people, it was impossible to remain unnoticed. The scattered zombies around them began closing in. Ye Zhao raised her watermelon knife and hacked to death a zombie crawling out of an alley. Half its body was gone, yet driven by instinct, it crawled toward them with bloodied teeth bared. It looked both horrifying and miserable.

Although traffic was jammed and many cars lay overturned on the road, there were also bicycles and electric bikes. They had all become ownerless. Even Ye Zhao picked up an electric bike to ride, greatly speeding up their progress.

The journey had originally gone fairly smoothly, but halfway there, they encountered a madman. He shouted for help from upstairs, and when he saw that they did not intend to save him, he actually threw cups, bowls, and chopsticks down from above. The clattering sound of shattering echoed through the entire street.

"Go die! All of you, go die!"

"If I'm going to die, we'll die together! None of you get to live! Hahaha, hahaha—"

Her +4 Constitution seemed to have made Ye Zhao's five senses much sharper. She vaguely heard zombie growls and chaotic footsteps.

She shouted, "Everyone, run! The zombies are coming after us!"

The moment she finished speaking, several zombies really did come running out from somewhere. Their grayish-white beady eyes actually brimmed with excitement and enthusiasm at the sight of food.

"Roar—"

The crowd immediately descended into chaos. "Fuck, that lunatic! I must've been insane to want to save him!"

"Quick, quick, ride faster!"

"The zombies are here!"

The group was terrified and fled in every direction, pedaling so hard that their bicycle chains nearly threw sparks.