Chapter 64 Sun Umbrella - I thought I could get it for free
No one knows how many infected people are inside the pyramid building.
The glass doors shattered completely, and like a floodgate being opened, a huge crowd poured out, instantly filling the commercial street.
The infected walked unsteadily, but their speed was anything but slow, catching up in the blink of an eye. Their faces were pale, their pupils dilated, their hands stiffly outstretched, their nails sharp and black. Based on experience from zombie movies, the zombie virus usually spreads through wounds, and the infected should be similarly susceptible, so they couldn't be bitten or scratched; all they could do was run.
When it comes to escaping, Fang Zhiyi is incredibly experienced. Before anyone else can even react, he's already taken the lead and is at the very front.
It's just that it can't run very fast.
The streets are narrow, with water-filled barriers placed on them, and out-of-control cars often stop sideways in the middle of the road, making it difficult to run more than a few steps before encountering obstacles.
The infected person chased after them, howling loudly.
They walked in straight lines, regardless of whether there were obstacles or not. The water barriers were overturned on the ground, and the infected crawled over them like cockroaches, a sight that made one's scalp crawl.
Fang Zhiyi quickened his pace, and just as he was about to crash into the abandoned car lying across the road, he reached out and braced himself on the hood of the car, suddenly exerted force in his waist, and leaped into the air to the other side.
The infected person couldn't push the car, so he could only struggle to climb up, his legs kicking wildly as he tried to find a foothold.
The infected people behind them pushed forward, but were blocked by the car.
Fang Zhiyi had a moment to catch her breath. She walked around a corner and looked back.
The commercial street was completely filled with infected people, their eyes fixed on them, and strange commotion was emanating from within.
Fang Zhiyi's pupils suddenly sharpened, and under the passive effect of [Snow Hunter], he clearly saw different characters appearing among the infected crowd.
[Power Infected]
Mimic Infected Person
[Infected Leader]
[...]
The number of infected people was so large that, under some influence, they began to mutate.
The Power Infected suddenly swelled to 2 meters in size, the Mimic Infected's hands and feet became thinner, and they climbed up the walls on both sides of the street like geckos, climbing very fast using both hands and feet... There was also the Leader Infected, who had subtly taken over the position of leader, controlling the other Infected to bypass the roadblocks and head straight for them.
We can't delay any longer.
Not only are there many infected people, but the virus has also mutated. If this continues, they will be trapped and die in the commercial district.
Looking ahead, through the roadblocks, you can see two cars parked outside the commercial street, only a dozen meters apart, yet seemingly out of reach under the shadow of the infected's footsteps.
We need to find a way to keep the infected people at bay and maintain distance from them, otherwise we won't even have a chance to get on the bus.
Fang Zhiyi's thoughts raced.
"wipe!"
A shout of cursing erupted from behind.
Brother Cha lagged behind, unaware that the infected had mutated. The mimic infected climbed over the wall and landed upside down behind him. Turning around, he saw a gaunt, eerie face almost touching his nose. The mimic infected grinned, as if it were smiling.
"Damn it! What are you laughing at!"
Driven by intense fear, his adrenaline surged, and Brother Cai slammed his gun butt into the infected. With a loud bang, the mimic infected was thrown into a daze and crashed into the overhead power line.
Sizzle!
Sparks flew, and the mimic infected froze, losing its balance and falling off the wall, lying there limply, seemingly temporarily incapacitated.
Fang Zhiyi had a sudden inspiration and waved to the people behind him: "Run this way!"
He was standing on a street corner. A fire hydrant had been knocked down, and water was spraying out like a fountain, pooling on the ground to form a winding stream. Beside him was a fallen utility pole with broken wires hanging from it, occasionally emitting flashes of sparks.
Brother Cai instinctively obeyed the command and ran over here.
Fang Zhiyi: "Don't touch the water on the ground!"
Brother Cha ran very fast, the wind blowing against his face, his features distorted from the force. Hearing Fang Zhiyi's words, he glanced ahead, sprinted and jumped, his legs kicking wildly in mid-air, tumbling and crawling across the puddles on the ground.
At the same time, Fang Zhiyi grabbed a stick from the side and hit the power line in mid-air with force.
The already precarious power line completely lost its balance and was knocked down to the ground.
The moment the broken part came into contact with the water, a crackling sound of electricity shot out, accompanied by sparks and lightning. The infected person who stepped on it was instantly electrocuted, convulsing and freezing in place.
The infected people behind them didn't know what was happening and just instinctively moved forward.
The result was that everyone who stepped on one got shocked and frozen in place.
As he gasped for breath, looking at the group of infected people standing in front of him as punishment, he immediately forgot about being chased and crawled on the ground earlier. He put his hands on his hips and smugly said, "Go ahead and chase me! Why aren't you chasing me anymore?"
"Look how capable you all are."
"Ha ha--"
Fang Zhiyi: "..."
Fang Zhiyi's lips twitched: "Let's go."
"They're here!" he exclaimed, turning to leave, but then stopped abruptly. "Damn, why are they moving?!"
Fang Zhiyi looked over upon hearing this.
The infected person's body trembled, sparks flew from their body, every piece of flesh was charred black by the high voltage, their pupils darted around uncontrollably, and they took a stiff step forward.
At the same time, a rustling sound came from above. More mimic infected climbed over the wall, hanging upside down in mid-air, their heads tilted down, their long tongues sticking out and curling up, making slurping sounds.
After a brief standoff, this time without Fang Zhiyi saying anything, the group turned around and ran away.
We're already very close to the exit of the shopping street.
Fang Zhiyi rolled over to avoid the tongue that came out from above.
The infected mimic's tongue is covered with barbs, which become a blur as it nimbly stabs.
He grabbed a pair of thick garden shears from the bushes, held them with both hands, and with a "snip," pressed them in, instantly severing the mimic's tongue.
"Aww—"
A piercing scream rang out.
A piece of tongue lay on the ground, still wriggling and jumping. It looked like the mouthparts of some kind of insect, capable of easily sucking out flesh and brain matter once the skin was pierced.
Fang Zhiyi felt a glint of light on the back of his neck. Without even turning around, he cut it off with a pair of scissors.
Following the same method, another tongue fell to the ground. After losing his tongue, the mimic infected fell to the ground and turned into a wisp of white light.
You have killed the mimic infected.
You killed the infected.
【you……】
The messages kept popping up one after another, and there was simply no time to read them. Fang Zhiyi shook off the mimic infected, rushed out of the commercial street in one go, opened the car door, and got in.
Step on the brake, start the engine, pull the handbrake... all done in one smooth motion.
"Get in the car!" he shouted out the window.
Chu Zhao also rushed out, followed closely by Brother Cai and Big Greedy Girl.
Further back are the infected.
The leader of the infected, realizing the food was about to escape, let out a roar.
The infected became even more frenzied, chasing after them like mad dogs. Their eyes rolled back, their mouths gaped open, and they desperately reached out to grab the people in front of them.
My fingernail brushed against my scalp.
The guy's scalp tingled: "Damn! I can't shake him off!"
Once they stop, they'll be overwhelmed by infected people. Even if they get on the bus then, it won't matter; with so many infected people, the bus simply won't move.
Chu Zhao: "Find cover and crouch down!"
Brother Ca and Big Glutton had no time to think. They climbed over the roadblock and crouched down behind a car that had been turned off.
Looking out through the gap in the tire, a metal pull ring fell to the ground. After bouncing twice, a round, black object was thrown from Chu Zhao's hand, arcing through the air and landing precisely in the pile of infected.
……What's this?
The thought had barely formed when a flash of light appeared on my retina, followed by a deafening roar.
Bang--
The infected person was blown away, the ground trembled, and shattered building debris fell on them, still carrying the warmth and smoke of the explosion.
Brother Cai's ears were ringing and he couldn't hear anything. He grabbed Big Greedy Girl and the two of them stumbled out of the commercial street with their heads down.
Chu Zhao walked through the smoke, opened the car door, and got in.
Before the car door was even closed, Fang Zhiyi stepped on the gas, and the car swerved violently, sparks flying as the tires rubbed against the ground.
Turning around, I saw in the rearview mirror that the infected were crawling out of the rubble, their bodies still glowing with fire, and they were chasing after me, dragging their half-crippled bodies.
Fang Zhiyi withdrew his gaze and continued to accelerate. In the rearview mirror, the ruins of the commercial street receded, and the impotent rage of the infected echoed in his ears.
Welcome to Highway Radio 401!
[Weather forecast for the next 4 hours]
【sunny】
As the clouds disperse and the mist clears, revealing verdant waters and green mountains, why not pause and appreciate the beautiful scenery along the way?
The sky, which had been gloomy for half a day, cleared up, the dark clouds dispersed, and a ray of sunlight fell, dispelling the gloom.
Fang Zhiyi pulled over and leaned back in his seat, letting out a long sigh of relief.
The car driven by Brother Ca and Big Greedy Girl also stopped immediately.
"Damn it," Brother Cai muttered, "if I ever run into these infected people again, I'll beat them so badly their own mothers won't recognize them!"
The gluttonous girl rolled her eyes.
Brother Cha: "What kind of look is that?"
The gluttonous girl only replied with two words: "Stubborn."
Brother Ca: "..."
The greedy girl rolled down the car window and leaned out: "Do you want some food?"
After a life-or-death escape, they need a good rest.
The group had run all the way, and they were all covered in dust and looked extremely disheveled. Not only that, their stamina and hunger levels were also almost gone.
Fang Zhiyi moved his shoulder, but it ached terribly with every movement, whether from overexertion or a scrape. Hearing what the greedy girl said, he shook his head: "No need, we have food."
The gluttonous girl nodded.
Brother Cai was still saying, "I fell for their trick this time, but there will be a next time..."
The greedy girl stuffed a handful of food into his mouth.
Brother Ca: "..."
The boy's cheeks puffed out: "Waaah..."
The greedy girl took a big bite of the jerky: "Alright, can't even food shut you up?"
Brother Cha chewed hard and swallowed the jerky with difficulty.
The food in the vehicle all had expiration dates, so to make storage easier, they specifically bought the recipe for [Dehydrated Meat Jerky] from other players and turned all the meat into jerky. Since it was all jerky, the taste was definitely not good; it was as hard as a rock, making it hard to swallow and causing one's eyes to roll back.
“I want to say…” Brother Ca rolled his eyes and said, “This stuff is absolutely awful.”
He glanced at another car outside the window and muttered curiously, "I wonder what the bosses are eating."
The gluttonous girl guessed, "Probably about the same."
Conditions on the highway are harsh. Everyone is driving cars, not RVs. Where can you find anything good to eat? You're lucky if you can get some dried meat.
"...The conditions in the car are too poor; there's nothing good to eat." Fang Zhiyi pondered. "So, do you want to eat self-heating hot pot?"
Chu Zhao: "..."
Is this considered poor condition?
He shook his head: "No need, the smell is too strong and it's inconvenient."
The car's space is only so big; if we eat self-heating hot pot, the smell will definitely get out and be noticed by other people.
Although they had just escaped death with Brother Cai and the greedy girl, they still needed to be on guard.
Fang Zhiyi thought about it and agreed: "Then shall I get some...bread? Cookies? Or canned food?"
Chu Zhao said, "Canned food."
Having expended a great deal of energy, they all bear the negative effect of "fatigue," halving their energy recovery efficiency. If they can replenish oil and salt in time, they can recover their energy quickly.
Fang Zhiyi looked around the shelves.
I never realized there were so many varieties of canned food before: luncheon meat, soy sauce fish, enoki mushrooms and bamboo shoots... and even braised pork with preserved mustard greens.
There were still many deliveries to make today, and I only used it once to pick up a bag of potato chips. Now that I have some spare cash, I can use it without any worries. Fang Zhiyi took out a can of luncheon meat and a bag of steamed buns.
Pulling open the can reveals luncheon meat that is glistening with oil, a bright red color, and has a vibrant texture. The white parts are fat, and the red parts are lean meat. When mixed together, it exudes an irresistible meaty aroma.
Fang Zhiyi broke open the steamed bun and put a piece of luncheon meat in it.
The steamed buns were cold, and so was the meat, but it didn't affect the taste at all. The steamed buns were soft and fluffy, and the luncheon meat was firm and juicy. After absorbing the oil, the amylase in the steamed buns reacted on the tip of my tongue, making them even sweeter. After finishing them in a few bites, I finally felt alive again.
Fang Zhiyi, still wanting more, said, "It would be even better if it were hot."
Chu Zhao chewed slowly and deliberately: "Perhaps we can upgrade the car into a motorhome."
Following the game's progression, cars need to be constantly upgraded, and besides performance, the only other area for upgrades is space.
From the initial spicy fish head to the current four-seater sedan, if we continue to upgrade, it might just become a motorhome.
The RV has more space, and there are also places to sleep and cook.
Thinking about this, Fang Zhiyi became even more eager to upgrade his car.
It's already the second day, and his car is still only level 1. He's never leveled up so slowly before.
Fang Zhiyi hurriedly looked at the windshield.
They killed many infected people in the commercial district. There was a lot of information popping up, but I haven't had time to look at it until now. I finally have time to sort it out.
[Obtained parts...]
[Obtained screws...]
【get……】
Looking through the information one by one, I found that I now have a total of 2875 parts, 35 screws, 18 rubber pieces, and 4 wrenches in my backpack.
Several other items also fell from the infected person's body.
[Virus Core Fragments]
[Through laboratory machines, it might be possible to synthesize a certain drug.]
【watch】
[Accurate timekeeping ensures you don't miss any appointments]
Black-rimmed glasses
[Ensure bright eyes and a wide field of vision]
[Accuracy +10]
Lucky Lollipop
Lick it once, and your luck will double!
...A whole bunch of odds and ends were neatly arranged by Fang Zhiyi, just in case they came in handy sometime.
After packing my backpack and opening the window to let in some fresh air, I was about to tell Brother Cai and the others that I was off when I turned around and met Brother Cai's strange look.
Fang Zhiyi: "...?"
If I'm not mistaken, it was pity tinged with a hint of understanding.
...It's weird.
Fang Zhiyi asked, "Is something the matter?"
Brother Cha shook his head like a rattle-drum: "No, no..." He hesitated, "It's just..."
Fang Zhiyi interrupted him: "Let's head to the office area."
As soon as he finished speaking, the car started and drove off, leaving Brother Cai with a face full of exhaust fumes.
"What exactly do you want to say?" The gluttonous girl turned the steering wheel and chased after them, asking.
Brother Ca wiped his face and sighed heavily: "Do you know what they were eating just now?"
The gluttonous girl asked, "What do you want to eat?"
Brother Cai was heartbroken: "They're eating steamed buns! There's not even any meat! I didn't expect the boss to be so stubborn, preferring to eat steamed buns rather than take our meat. I even felt sorry for us eating meat, but the boss is the one suffering..."
The gluttonous girl: "..."
Brother Cai made up his mind and clenched his fist: "Next time, no matter how many times I get rejected, I'll make sure the boss gets to eat meat!"
"yawn--"
Fang Zhiyi felt a strange itch in her nose, sneezed violently, rubbed the tip of her nose, and the state of the car appeared before her eyes.
[Car]
[Level 1]
[Defense: 2]
Speed: 2 (Engine bonus +10%)
[Health Points: 15]
[Number of passengers: 2/4]
Fuel tank capacity: 0.2 bars
Mileage: 400 (updated hourly)
Tire condition: Normal
Engine condition: Good
Cargo quantity: 1
Weather: Sunny
Temperature: 29℃
We're almost out of gas.
We're still a distance from the office area; we need to find a place to refuel first.
Chu Zhao unfolded the map and looked around: "There's a gas station at the intersection of the office area and the commercial area. Let's go check it out first."
Fang Zhiyi glanced at the map and drove along the road. About 10 minutes later, the gas station sign came into view.
The gas station was small, serving only two vehicles at a time. The shop next door had been looted; the cash register had been smashed open, and goods were scattered all over the floor.
Fortunately, the refueling facilities were still intact. Fang Zhiyi took the fuel nozzle, and a payment prompt appeared in front of him.
Fang's meaning: "".
I thought I could buy it for free.
The price of oil is also 50 parts per unit.
There's still a long way to go, so to avoid any unexpected situations, I decided to fill up the tank first.
The fuel tank can hold a maximum of 10 bars of fuel. 500 parts were used up at once, leaving 2375 parts remaining.
After filling up the tank, Fang Zhiyi glanced at the store again and couldn't resist going in and ransacking the place.
A bar of chocolates was found tucked into a gap in the shelf, several spare parts were found under the checkout counter, and a bottle of water was also discovered...
"Um?"
Fang Zhiyi pulled out a newspaper.
The newspaper was old and yellowed, with a photo of the gate of Sun Umbrella Biotechnology Company pasted on it. A man in a white coat and black glasses stood at the gate, with the words "CEO Mark" written in small print next to him.
“Mark?” Fang Zhiyi felt that the name sounded familiar.
Chu Zhao reminded him: "The old lady's son."
Fang Zhiyi examined the man above in the light and found that he did indeed look somewhat like the old lady.
The photo was accompanied by a lengthy description of the CEO, praising his exceptional talent and business acumen, claiming he turned Umbrella Biotechnology from a loss-making company to a profitable one in just three months, and that he was a strong advocate for the development of new biological agents...
"Looks like he's not an ordinary NPC." Fang Zhiyi put down the newspaper. "Let's go."
After filling up the gas tank, in front of the gas station, an 18-story building stands in the very center of the city. Its glass walls reflect dazzling light, and a giant logo of a parasol company is embedded on it, like a giant umbrella covering the entire bear market.
Upon arriving at the office area, the car stopped in front of the Sun Umbrella Biotechnology Company.
Unlike the chaos outside, the office area seemed to remain clean and orderly. The lobby on the first floor had a 3.5-meter high ceiling, crystal chandeliers hung down, and the floor tiles were so clean that they reflected one's image. Stepping through the glass revolving doors, a blast of cold air hit you... The building even had its electrical systems running, as if people were still working inside.
It is described as "as if" because the lobby on the first floor was completely empty.
The front desk was empty, and the security guards were nowhere to be found. It was so quiet that you could hear footsteps echoing, as if everyone in the building had vanished at some point.
Fang Zhiyi carried the insulated box to be delivered to the elevator. He glanced at the mission requirements and saw that the delivery address was on the -1 floor.
He reached out and pressed the down button.
The screen at the elevator entrance lit up, a red light swept across it, and two "beep" sounds came from inside, followed by a mechanical electronic voice.
"Please do not trespass."
Didi.
The screen went dark, reflecting a pair of amber eyes.
Fang Zhiyi took out the laboratory access card and tried it again.
The answer remains "Please do not trespass."
Chu Zhao said, "This is iris recognition; only staff members are allowed to enter."
Fang Zhiyi muttered, "The staff are probably all infected. Do I have to grab an infected person to open the door?"
Even if you wanted to look, you couldn't find it.
There wasn't a soul in sight at the parasol company.
The elevator was out of service, so they had to find another way to get to the -1 floor. They searched the lobby on the first floor but couldn't find a way down. The only apparent way seemed to be the elevator, but it required iris recognition, which they couldn't use.
The task is stuck here.
Fang Zhiyi scratched his head, unable to figure out how to break through the iris lock to the -1 layer.
Just then, they heard Brother Cai standing at the door looking outside, sighing, "There aren't even any cars in this office area. When I started working here, there was never a place to park..."
Fang Zhiyi heard what he said, and an idea flashed through her mind: "What did you say?"
Brother Cha paused for a moment, then said, "I said there are no cars here."
Fang's meaning: "No, it's the next sentence."
The guy was confused: "Uh... there aren't any parking spaces when I'm at work...?"
Fang Zhiyi grasped the key phrase: "Parking! There must be an underground parking lot here!"
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