Preparing to Enter

"Survival!"

"Exam setting: modern era, doomsday, zombie outbreak!"

"Zombies!!"

As soon as the system finished its announcement, He Zheng jumped up in excitement!

Although the system had provided very little information, it was enough for him to know exactly what the next exam would be!

"We hit the jackpot! The jackpot! Ye Lin! We can farm points! They're fucking handing us points for free!!"

"Haha! We're actually fighting zombies! And it's a fucking survival exam!"

Wildly excited, He Zheng forgot all about his image, throwing an arm around Zhang Tie and bouncing up and down.

Hu Jia stared in disbelief. Only then did he realize that He Zheng was actually just a year or two older than them, not even in his early twenties. He only seemed mature because he had started fending for himself early.

"Are survival exams easy?"

Ye Lin asked He Zheng, his gaze settling on the words "zombie outbreak."

If these were the zombies he knew from movies and games, there really wasn't much to worry about.

A bunch of "corpses" that could only bite people shouldn't be too difficult to survive, as long as they avoided infection.

"Not exactly easy, but definitely not the hardest kind!"

Having calmed down, He Zheng happily lit a cigarette and explained with a grin:

"Survival exams are usually just about risking your life. Live if you can. If you can't, that's that."

"As long as you last until the time limit, you clear the exam!"

"Anyway, I had one like that before. It was tiring, but pretty good for farming points! You have no idea-I was a fucking war god that time. One slash per green bug, hacking my way from inside the city to outside. Three whole days and nights without even blinking. Carved a path straight through!"

He Zheng cocked his eyebrows smugly and blew a smoke ring, though he cast a guilty glance at An Ke as he finished his last sentence.

That exam had indeed been very "easy."

Except he hadn't carved a path through anything. The bugs had chased him for three days and nights, chewing off half his ass.

Fortunately, his teammates had pulled through, hauling him onto a bus and speeding out of the encirclement.

"Survival exams really aren't that difficult. It looks like our scores last time didn't raise the difficulty too much."

"But we still can't let our guard down. If we spawn downtown, we could face a huge number of zombies right from the start."

Without exposing He Zheng's boasting, An Ke nodded and confirmed what he had said.

"What the hell is there to fear? I'll just redeem a Gatling gun. One heavy machine gun each, then a few fucking rocket launchers."

"Who cares how many zombies there are? One rocket will send them straight to hell!"

He Zheng's eyes shone.

He wished he could redeem the weapons right now and charge in to slaughter everything.

"Seriously, I've wanted a Gatling gun forever. Have you seen the system's elite version? Holy shit, one bullet can blow up a car, and it fires six thousand rounds per second!"

"If we'd had that last time, we could've killed every Species that came at us. Would they still have chased us all over the place?"

"I worked it out. Each of us has enough for a D-rank bloodline, with points left over. Then we get a couple of guns, a few tons of ammo, and buy some..."

"I don't recommend redeeming any modern weapons."

Before He Zheng could gleefully open the listings for the guns he had long coveted, An Ke spoke up, cutting his fantasy short.

"Huh?"

He Zheng froze, looking at An Ke in bewilderment. The others, including Huang Liang, turned to her as well.

"An Ke, are you worried they won't know how to use them?"

Huang Liang spoke hesitantly, pointing toward his room:

"Actually, I think we could redeem some firearms. If you're worried they won't handle them properly, they can train in my room."

"I happened to discover that when it generated the setting, it copied the shooting range exactly too."

"That's not what I'm worried about. It's too wasteful."

An Ke shook her head. Although He Zheng had three exams' worth of experience, he was barely different from a newcomer in her eyes.

"The next exam certainly is suited to firearms. But what about afterward?"

"He Zheng, can you guarantee guns will still be useful in the third and fourth exams?"

He Zheng fell silent. He wanted to argue, but he knew An Ke was right.

Ignoring his displeasure, An Ke continued:

"I'm not opposed to redeeming technological weapons. But as the number of exams increases, the system deliberately limits their effectiveness. Some enemies are even immune to damage from technological weapons."

"Wasting a huge number of points on guns and ammunition for a single exam is just stupid."

"Then what do you suggest? Like you said, what if we enter and find ourselves surrounded by zombies? Are we supposed to wait to die without guns?"

"One machete each? Even God himself couldn't fight his way out!"

He Zheng folded his arms and couldn't help snorting. He understood her point, but they didn't have many options.

"And don't tell us to spend everything on physical stats. Apart from Ye Lin, even if we spend all our points, we'll only run a little faster and hit a little harder. If..."

"Redeem flight packs, then Antidotes."

"Spend all the remaining points on bloodlines."

Before He Zheng could finish, An Ke opened the redemption panel:

"A flight pack costs just two points. It lasts ten minutes and can fly two hundred meters high. That's enough to escape an encirclement."

"We can obtain weapons within the exam setting. As long as the difficulty isn't pushed to the maximum right from the start, we'll have enough time to acquire them."

"So, given our current circumstances, we should prioritize lifesaving items, then consider everything else!"

"The primary objective of a survival exam is survival. Staying alive matters more than anything else, not running around with nothing but killing on your mind."

An Ke reprimanded He Zheng without holding back. Though she had lost all her strength, she still had her experience.

She could clearly feel that, ever since learning how many points Ye Lin had earned, He Zheng had started getting carried away. He even thought they could farm points in the next exam.

That mindset was deadly. One careless mistake, and he would certainly die next time.

Seeing that He Zheng had fallen silent with an ugly expression after her reprimand, An Ke turned straight to Ye Lin:

"What do you think, Ye Lin?"

Ye Lin nodded, offering no objection to her proposal.

Avoiding the greatest risk at the lowest cost made perfect sense.

Antidotes weren't expensive.

An injection that delayed symptoms for twenty-four hours cost only two points, while one that completely cured the infection cost five. By his rough estimate, three doses per person would suffice, provided they didn't have to stay too long.

And with his Tyrant Gene, he could even save that expense.

"But..."

Turning to An Ke, Ye Lin's gaze fell on her leg.

Judging by the way she walked, her injury hadn't fully healed. That meant she really had no points and had only used the 0.1 points he transferred to remove the bullet.

No matter how cheap the Antidotes and flight packs were, she couldn't afford them.

As though she had noticed what he was thinking, An Ke addressed it openly:

"Ye Lin, I really don't have any points left to redeem anything, so I'd like to borrow ten points from you."

"But I don't need Antidotes. I'll buy medical supplies and a flight pack instead."

"With my current strength, it'll be difficult for me to fight, so I'll handle logistics. That includes redeeming 'cash' in advance to buy weapons from the humans in the setting. I'll take care of that too."

"Once it's over, I'll do my best to repay you double."

After speaking, An Ke looked at Ye Lin sincerely.

She could have traded that person's "belongings" to Ye Lin for points.

But she knew perfectly well that their strength was nowhere near equal. She had no standing to negotiate.

Rather than cling to fantasies, she might as well be direct and survive the next exam first.

Ye Lin gave An Ke a slightly surprised look.

It was a clever choice. An Ke had been working hard to prove her worth.

Moreover, by not redeeming Antidotes, she was telling him that she was placing her life in his hands.

In that case...

"An Ke, um, why don't I handle logistics?"

"I'm a coward. Even if I redeem some ability, I'm afraid I won't be much use. It might just be a waste."

Hu Jia suddenly spoke up, looking nervously at the two of them.

He was cautious, forcing a pleading smile onto his face. He noticed He Zheng's expression abruptly turn cold at his words, clearly disappointed in him.

But he truly didn't want to face those monsters, nor did he dare.

"All right. You'll be responsible for redeeming those things. After the exam, everyone else will reimburse your points based on what they actually use."

"There's no need! Ye Lin! I already feel guilty enough. If you hadn't risked your lives last time, I'd have died long ago. I just want to... be useful..."

Hu Jia gave a bitter chuckle, his smile strained.

To his surprise, however, Ye Lin shook his head and settled the matter:

"There's no need for that. Your points are yours."

"Being able to survive is an accomplishment too."

At his words, An Ke froze slightly. It wasn't only his attitude that surprised her; she also discovered that he had still transferred ten points to her.

For some inexplicable reason, she suddenly felt that this guy might not be so bad after all.

"I'll pay you back."

An Ke spoke earnestly, only to see Ye Lin give an odd smile a moment later:

"I know. If you don't, I'll beat you to death."

An Ke: ...

Before the black-and-red vortex.

He Zheng turned his head and looked nervously behind him:

"Um, let's agree on this first. The ability I'm redeeming is for melee combat, so don't pick the same thing."

Only twenty-three hours remained before the next exam. Once they had settled their redemption plan, nobody dared waste time. They intended to finish their enhancements quickly, then spend some time getting used to them.

According to their assigned roles, He Zheng and Zhang Tie chose melee combat, one focusing on offense and the other on defense. Huang Liang, the best shot, chose ranged support, while Hu Jia took on logistical support.

As for Ye Lin, their strongest fighter, both An Ke and He Zheng naturally regarded him as the core. All they needed to do was support him.

After receiving everyone's confirmation, He Zheng took a deep breath and reached into the vortex.

Instantly, a redemption screen appeared above his head.

On the screen stood a berserker wielding twin axes, his entire body drenched in blood.

Watching the roaring berserker, He Zheng's breathing quickened.

He had wanted this for a long time.

The C-rank Odin Warrior greatly enhanced strength and endurance and came with the Bloodthirst Talent and Frenzy Skill.

Its shortcomings were obvious too: short legs and poor speed. But what He Zheng valued most were the two axes that came with the Odin Warrior!

Unlike other bloodlines, which required separate equipment, these two axes were practically free. According to the system's assessment, they could even hack through steel plates, making them excellent value.

"Beep. Redeeming bloodline: C-rank bloodline, Odin Warrior."

"This redemption costs 45 points. Confirm?"

"Confirm!"

Without hesitation, He Zheng nodded firmly. In an instant, a beam of red light shot out of the vortex and enveloped his entire body.

Just seconds later, He Zheng let out a pained roar, his face contorted. His muscles visibly swelled, and two enormous bloodstained axes suddenly appeared in his hands.

Pale blue patterns flashed across his body and vanished. He Zheng instinctively swung the axes, only to startle himself at the sudden whoosh as they sliced through the air.

Such incredible strength!

Dazed, he felt the power within him swell to its limit. Even if he encountered another Species, he could cleave it in two!

"He Zheng! How do you feel?"

Hu Jia called to him nervously, envy filling his eyes.

"Great! I feel like I could smash a tank with one swing!"

He Zheng turned around, excitement flooding his heart. The heavy weight that had been pressing down on him finally lifted.

He took a deep breath and bent his knees. In an instant, he launched himself into the air like a cannonball!

Like a heavy truck accelerating to a hundred kilometers an hour.

Within a single breath, He Zheng came crashing down in front of Ye Lin like a meteor.

Bang!!

The ground trembled slightly.

Unnoticed by anyone, An Ke's expression suddenly changed, and she instinctively looked at Ye Lin.

Only after noticing the wristwatch on his arm light up instantly did she quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

Oblivious as ever, He Zheng stood without noticing anything unusual about An Ke. Suppressing his excitement, he looked at Ye Lin:

"Ye Lin, seriously, I'm really grateful to you!"

"Honestly, I never thought I'd be able to redeem this one day."

He Zheng gave a bitter smile. Nobody knew how complicated his feelings were. Unlike him, Hu Jia and the others had yet to understand the true cruelty of the Death Exam.

Here, you couldn't afford even a single mistake.

It was a vicious cycle. Because he had performed poorly in his first exam, even when he risked his life afterward and squeezed every last bit of value from his points, he still couldn't earn enough. All he could do was struggle on the brink of death.

He had nearly been driven mad. Every time he entered an exam, he had no idea whether he would make it out alive.

"Ye Lin, I'm not good with words. Anyway, from now on, if you tell me to charge, I'll charge. If you need me to cover the rear, I'll cover the rear!"

He Zheng didn't consider himself smart, but he understood one thing: Ye Lin was stronger than him, so he would follow him to the end.

He didn't care whether Ye Lin was a good person. At least he had survived thanks to him!

"No need to thank me. If you really want to, help me test things out once I finish my enhancement."

Ye Lin smiled, unconcerned by He Zheng's suddenly stiff expression.

He strode toward the vortex. After seeing He Zheng's example, he was curious just how much stronger he would become.