An encounter

The night passed without incident.

Lin Hui stretched as he woke up on the 1.2-meter-wide bed.

This was the first night he had spent in this apocalyptic world.

But Lin Hui had not slept well.

He had spent the night half asleep and half awake.

Lin Hui immediately opened the system.

[Time remaining until Gray Fog arrives: 04:54:02]

He had driven for another three hours last night. Otherwise, the Gray Fog would have caught up by now.

Although his RV had Infinite Power, the Gray Fog clung to him like a festering sore, following him relentlessly and putting an invisible strain on his mind.

Whew...

Lin Hui went to the bathroom to wash up.

The mirror reflected the face of an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old boy, with short black hair and clear features that held a hint of distance. A faint, cool stillness surrounded him.

After washing up, Lin Hui returned to the cab and made himself a bowl of instant noodles.

As he ate, he casually opened the Regional Channel.

After a night of culling by the cold wave, the survivor count stood at [5,000,211].

Another two million people were gone.

Those who had survived had clearly realized how cruel this game was.

"Looking to buy Universal Fuel!"

"Looking to buy tires! Mine are almost worn out!"

"That monster last night was terrifying. It nearly tore my car door off! I have to upgrade my sports car!"

Ten minutes later, Lin Hui closed the system.

From what the others shared, he had learned a few things.

For example, killing zombies could yield upgrade blueprints, Universal Fuel, weapons, bread, water, razors, medicine, and more...

Players had already started forming teams and banding together to survive!

Several crimes had also occurred...

Of course, in an apocalypse like this, with order gone, the evil within human hearts had been unleashed!

Lin Hui wiped his mouth and started the engine.

Today's goal was clear: gather the [50 units of steel] and [10 units of rubber (7 units already owned)] needed to upgrade his RV to Lv.2.

At that moment...

He noticed a problem.

Because he had unlimited fuel, he was among those who had traveled the farthest in this region.

As a result, he had barely seen any abandoned cars.

Would he have to head back?

Lin Hui drove the RV slowly along the road.

He was prepared to turn back.

But after driving about twenty kilometers, his gaze suddenly fixed on a stretch of wasteland to the right of the road.

A massive object lay among the withered yellow weeds.

It was a crashed military helicopter!

Although the fuselage had broken in two and the rotor blades were bent out of shape, its thick armor and sturdy landing gear were all glittering "high-quality specialty steel" in Lin Hui's eyes!

"Not bad!"

Lin Hui stepped on the gas, and the RV rolled over the roadbed toward it.

Then he noticed a zombie wandering aimlessly beside the helicopter wreckage.

[Target: Agile Zombie (Tier 1)]

[Strength: 10] (Note: a healthy adult male has 5.)

[Agility: 20] (Note: a healthy adult male has 5; an elite sprinter has 20.)

[Constitution: 20] (Note: a healthy adult male has 5.)

"An Agile Zombie?"

Lin Hui raised an eyebrow, showing no intention of slowing down.

He did not plan to ram the zombie. Instead, he intended to lure it away.

Vroom!

The RV's engine roared!

The Agile Zombie immediately heard the noise, locked onto Lin Hui's RV, and charged after it as though it had spotted a delicious meal.

It was incredibly fast, like a cheetah!

Anticipating its movements, Lin Hui jerked the wheel and drove off in another direction!

Ten minutes later...

He checked the left side mirror and could no longer see the zombie.

Only then did Lin Hui change direction, making a wide loop to head back.

But halfway there...

He noticed something was wrong.

At the same time...

The vehicle panel updated its status.

[Current status updated]

[Durability: 5% (All four tires have abnormal pressure. You can only travel another 50 kilometers. Immediate replacement recommended.)]

Lin Hui's expression instantly darkened.

He leaned his head out the window and saw that all four tires had gone completely flat, leaving the rims pressing directly into the dirt.

Several homemade triangular steel spikes, sharpened to vicious points, gleamed coldly from each tire.

Road spikes!

Someone had planted road spikes here!

"I've been set up."

This was definitely no coincidence!

These caltrops were specifically designed to puncture tires, and their placement was devious, right in the blind spot where he had stopped.

Someone had actually traveled faster than him!

Just then, the sound of an engine came from nearby.

Hearing it, Lin Hui instantly narrowed his eyes.

A minute later, a rather battered-looking sports car painted yellow slowly emerged and stopped exactly twenty meters away from Lin Hui.

The doors opened.

Two men and a woman stepped out.

The man in front looked to be in his thirties. A knife scar ran from his brow to the corner of his mouth, and he wore a black leather jacket.

Behind him to the left was a young woman whose looks were about an eight out of ten, but whose figure was stunning.

Behind him to the right was a young man with dyed blond hair, twirling a car key in his hand.

The blond moved unhurriedly toward Lin Hui's RV, asking with apparent concern:

"You all right, buddy? This place is crawling with zombies. I saw you sitting here for ages without moving and thought something might've happened, so I came over to check."

Scarface said nothing. His eyes remained fixed on Lin Hui's RV, a flicker of greed flashing through them.

That was an RV!

Not only was it big, it looked warm, too!

Compared to it, their drafty taxi was practically a pile of junk, aside from being fast.

Lin Hui stayed inside. His right hand appeared to rest casually in his outdoor jacket pocket, but he had already gripped the cold handle of the Axe Gun.

"Yeah, flat tires."

Lin Hui spoke expressionlessly, his voice so calm that it betrayed neither anger nor pleasure.

"Oh, that's rough!"

The blond slapped his thigh, looking worried on Lin Hui's behalf. "We're in the middle of nowhere, and the Gray Fog is right on our asses! Buddy, fate brought us together. Why don't you come with us?"

"Come with you?" Lin Hui raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! Our car may be a wreck, but at least it runs, right?"

As the blond spoke, he and Scarface slowly closed in from two different angles.

"We all ended up in this hellhole for no reason. We have to help each other!"

Help each other?

Lin Hui watched the two men.

The blond kept one hand behind his back. His steps seemed loose, yet he remained tense, his eyes darting about as he checked whether anyone else was inside the RV.

Lin Hui had seen this kind of lousy acting countless times in apocalypse movies in his previous life.

It was a classic attempt to steal a vehicle.

First, they planted spikes to cripple your car. Then they played the good guys coming to your rescue. Once you climbed aboard their trap or let your guard down...

You were dead.

"No, thanks."

Lin Hui spoke evenly, his body tensing slightly.

"My vehicle can still be repaired."

At those words, the blond's expression shifted slightly, while Scarface took another step forward, leaving less than five meters between him and Lin Hui.

"Buddy, don't be so stubborn."

Scarface finally spoke, his voice grating and hoarse, with a vicious edge.

"We're all human. The only way to survive in this hellhole is to stick together!"

Looking at the two men, Lin Hui suddenly curled his lips into a mocking smile.

"You two can stop acting! If I'm not mistaken, you're the ones who planted these road spikes, aren't you?"

The blond's expression instantly froze.

And in that instant, Scarface's gaze turned utterly murderous.

"Fuck! Since you've figured it out, don't blame us for being ruthless! Don't think we can't get to you just because you're holed up in that RV!"