Cheng Mushen withdrew his gaze and looked at the road ahead.
"My name is Zhao Manman." The girl looked at Zheng Miao and felt at ease.
His gaze was different from Cheng Mushen's. Zheng Miao also had a stern face, looking fierce, but his eyes held a soldier's determination and sense of duty. He looked at her with a sense of scrutiny, without any hint of eagerness or clinging.
Zhao Manman couldn't help but frown at the thought. Ever since Lin Yong and Lu Cai left, Cheng Mushen had changed. Even with the same gestures and expressions, she'd previously felt affection and gratitude, but now she felt disgusted and uncomfortable.
He hadn't said anything that crossed the line yet, but Zhao Manman felt that he was slowly gaining control of her.
If she's alone with him again, something bad will happen to her!
A strong desire to survive reminded her that if she hadn't picked up Zheng Miao, Zhao Manman would have planned to leave secretly.
There are zombies everywhere outside, and she might die miserably, but she also has a chance to survive.
If I stay with Cheng Mushen, it will be more terrifying than death...
"Where are you planning to go?" Zheng Miao asked calmly.
Zhao Manman said: "We originally planned to go to the C City Refuge Camp, but now the C City Camp has fallen. We can only walk and see -"
"Come back to the imperial capital headquarters with me--" Zheng Miao asked Zhao Manman, but his eyes fell on Cheng Mushen who was sitting in the front seat.
Cheng Mushen snorted coldly, almost undetectable. This NPC said he was taking them to headquarters, but he really wanted them to send him back...
——
"Entry and exit inspection at the Imperial Capital Headquarters?" Cai Lu looked at Xiao Yue with a focused gaze.
Xiao Yue nodded. "If we follow the normal procedures to enter, fill out the information forms, and verify your identity, it may take more than half a month... Now the information system has collapsed, but the procedures cannot be lost. However, our search and rescue team has a quota of refugees who are exempt from inspection every day. As long as you are tested and do not have the virus, you can enter the camp and we will verify other information after that."
"How far is it from here to the imperial capital?" Qin Yu asked Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan replied, "At normal speed, about four days."
They were discussing the itinerary, but Cai Lu looked at Xiao Yue with confusion. He seemed to have forgotten her?
Qin Yu turned around and noticed that Lu Cai was particularly attentive to Xiao Yue, and this attentiveness didn't seem malicious. She glanced at Xiao Yue a few times. She was quite attractive, but Lu Cai didn't seem like the kind of person who would be blinded by lust.
Lu Cai turned his head and met Qin Yu's inquiring gaze. Neither of them dodged and both looked frank.
"Did Mr. Xiao participate in the search and rescue process at the H City Animal World?" Cai Lu asked.
Xiao Yue was a bit surprised. He wondered if he had seen her before in H City. No wonder she looked familiar. However, not many people were rescued in the zoo operation. Including Nian Nian, there were only five people in total, and they had all been sent to the imperial capital headquarters.
If there was someone like her among the refugees, Xiao Yue would never forget her.
"I've been there before, but the infection was severe and we weren't able to save many people—" he replied politely.
Lu Cai nodded, and without further questioning, turned to Qin Yu.
"The side storylines in the dungeon are set in a virtual space that has already happened, right?" This was the only reason she could find.
Because it is a virtual space constructed by extracting the past tense of the copy world, the world view NPC cannot enter. In that virtual time and space, there is a "world view NPC" at the same time, even if this NPC never appears.
That is a past that has already happened. No matter what you do, you cannot interfere with the real copy world.
Qin Yu nodded: "I have guessed so, but it has not been confirmed." It seems that Lu Cai once entered the side story and met "Xiao Yue" in that story.
Lu Cai understood Qin Yu's answer. Players were also exploring the secrets of this game world. Suddenly, she thought of a small, aggrieved face: "Does Mr. Xiao have a three-year-old niece named Nian Nian?"
Xiao Yue's eyelids jumped: "Do you know Nian Nian?"
Seeing that there was no sadness on his face when he mentioned Nian Nian, Lu Cai temporarily felt relieved: "I have met her twice. Is she okay?"
Xiao Yue suddenly had a strange guess. He stared at her closely and asked, "Does Miss Lu know about Bumblebee?"
Cai Lu was caught off guard and shocked by Xiao Yue's question.
Bumblebee? Wasn't that what she'd mentioned when she was trying to coax Nian Nian? As far as she could remember, Nian Nian hadn't known about Bumblebee when they'd just met... If that was really because of her... it completely shattered her previous "side story" deductions.
Zhao Yan was driving and didn't understand what they were talking about. Finally, he found a topic he understood: "Who doesn't know Bumblebee? Transformers Autobots—"
"Why do you ask that, Mr. Xiao?" Cai Lu finally calmed down after being interrupted by Zhao Yan.
Xiao Yue also felt inexplicably guilty, and at this moment he met Qin Yu's calm gaze, and his face suddenly became hot and he felt panicked.
"Sorry, I'm being rude—" Xiao Yue smiled, "Because Nian Nian has been clamoring for Bumblebee recently, I wondered if Miss Lu had told her any stories—her favorite story before was the Hulk…"
"Didn't you ask Nian Nian why she suddenly fell in love with Bumblebee?" Cai Lu pretended not to care.
Xiao Yue sighed: "Every time I asked her, she looked dazed, and I didn't dare to say anything more. If she likes it, I will find it for her-"
"You really love your little niece--" Zhao Yan sighed.
He treated Nian Nian very well, so Lu Cai felt relieved. She cleared her throat after noticing Qin Yu staring at her for a long time.
"Before I met you, I fell into a side story with a group of other players." Lu Cai pointed at Xiao Yue, "It was the 'H City Animal World' that he went to rescue. I also met his little niece--"
Qin Yu looked away: "You won't use the bumblebee to coax her, will you——"
Cai Lu chuckled twice, which was taken as his agreement.
——
Cheng Mushen stepped on the accelerator and drove all the way.
Did these two ungrateful NPCs think he was their driver?
He looked at the back seat through the rearview mirror. Zhao Manman was carefully changing Zheng Miao's dressing. Just taking off her shirt, revealing some flesh, made her blush.
The hand that was pressed against the man's abdominal muscles was reluctant to let go.
"Thank you." Zheng Miao put on his short-sleeved shirt again, his tone calm and he looked unmoved.
Cheng Mushen despises such hypocritical people the most. It is natural for a man to want a woman. Who is he trying to show off by pretending to be a gentleman?
Cheng Mushen saw the signpost standing by the roadside. The city ahead was B. Before it fell, it was also an economic development zone with many merchants coming and going and many local residents.
Thinking of this, Cheng Mushen's eyes deepened.
After Lin Yong's death, he was left without a deputy. Zhao Manman had originally been clamoring to save this person, thinking it would be nice if he stayed and helped him because of Zheng Miao's equipment. But now he had a different view. He wanted an obedient deputy, not an arrogant NPC used to giving orders.
"We're about to enter City B..." Cheng Mushen said calmly, "We don't have enough supplies, so we might have to go look for them."
"Okay." Zheng Miao agreed immediately.
Zhao Manman was apprehensive, feeling something was about to happen. She said anxiously, "Your injury hasn't healed yet—"
Cheng Mushen sneered.
Zheng Miao didn't care: "This injury is nothing."
They are fighting, and even if they die, they have to keep moving forward as long as they can pick up their guns.
In the eyes of the rescue team members, personal safety means nothing.
......
Near the city center, cars were lying all over the place, and in the distance, the anti-theft lock made a "beep, beep" sound, as if something had hit the car shell.
There was a sudden screech of a car, but then nothing happened. No frantic roars, no shots of resistance.
The gray car pulled over.
Zhao Manman asked Cheng Mushen nervously, "It's very dangerous in the city. Do you really want to go there?"
"Stay in the car and don't run around." Cheng Mushen didn't allow her to question him. "Otherwise, we'll have to rescue you later—"
Zhao Manman looked at his cold eyes and didn't dare to ask any more questions. She just cast a concerned look at Zheng Miao on the side: "Your injury hasn't healed yet, be careful--"
Zheng Miao didn't show any expression, just said "hmm".
Cheng Mushen's eyes were sinister. It was true that women couldn't stand a good face. Even when others didn't give her face, she still wanted to stick to them.
The car door opened and closed. Zhao Manman looked at the backs of the two men and thought of Lin Yong and Lu Cai. What was the scene like when they got out of the car to check?
She frowned, unable to recall anything. But she remembered Lin Yong's smile, and the slightly admiring look Lu Cai gave her when he heard her school's name...
Cheng Mushen led Zheng Miao forward. The sky was covered with dark clouds and drizzle was falling from the clouds.
Zheng Miao was taller, with a strong face that gave him a tough, masculine demeanor. His brows furrowed, and he was wary of the young man before him.
"Shouldn't we investigate separately?" Zheng Miao asked him.
A city couldn't have just one supermarket. Separately, they could search a wider area and reduce the chance of being surrounded. Zombies were fast and ferocious, but their brains weren't very effective. A single person running through the streets had a much better chance of survival than a group.
Moreover, he didn't want to have to be on guard against his companions while searching for supplies.
Cheng Mushen walked towards an underground parking lot, but Zheng Miao behind him stopped.
"There's an underground supermarket down here, which is safer than the elevator at the main entrance." Cheng Mushen pointed to a sign on the side. "We've already found our way here, so why go our separate ways? Isn't that too much trouble?"
Zheng Miao hesitated for a moment, but followed: "Have you been here before?"
Cheng Mushen thought to himself, he is indeed a small leader in the army, with sharp observation skills, not as easy to deceive as Lin Yong -
"Yes, I have been here." Cheng Mushen nodded.
It was here that he dropped it when he first entered the dungeon. He also met Lin Yong, who was also fleeing, in City B. They were originally just traveling together, but who knew that Lin Yong would obey his every word.
It feels good to be followed by others, so Cheng Mushen plans to take the rookie who is holding him back with him to complete the game.
Now think about it, if it is not a critical moment and he needs to save his own life first, he would not let Lin Yong die.
The two walked down the gentle slope of the underground garage.
Cheng Mushen was right. There was a passage leading directly from the underground garage to the underground supermarket. The two of them carefully entered the supermarket. Zheng Miao carefully analyzed the supermarket structure and went directly to the drinking water area.
The sound echoed in the supermarket, and there were many zombies near and far.
Zheng Miao frowned. If zombies were to appear here, it would be a huge scene. He looked at Cheng Mushen, who was standing to the side. He was relatively quiet and didn't seem to be looking for trouble.
I walked cautiously along the way. The further I went inside, the louder the zombies' footsteps became. The shelves were tall and each layer was filled with various goods.
Zheng Miao had just walked out of a shelf of water cups when he heard a gunshot beside him.
He turned his head and saw Cheng Mushen's gradually fading figure: "I wish you have a good time--" He smiled and disappeared into the air.
Zheng Miao had no time to be surprised, as zombies had already been attracted over. He could only fight back, and the result of the battle was that he attracted an endless stream of zombies.
It's still not too late to retreat now—
He walked back and forth until he was back in the parking lot passageway, only then did he realize how wrong he was.
A blue plasticine-like substance filled the door frame, completely blocking the way in. He tried firing twice, but the plasticine swallowed the bullets and remained stuck to the door frame without moving.
The sound of stumbling and knocking gradually approached, and with a roar, a figure rushed up.
Zheng Miao turned around and fired, a sudden pain in his back wound. He paused as two figures rushed over. He pressed against the chin of one zombie and pressed the button, while the other one had already climbed onto his back.
Just as he was waiting for the zombie to open its mouth and bite him, he was no longer able to resist.
My body felt lighter. There was no sound of a gunshot, only the slight sound of a dagger piercing flesh.
Zheng Miao reacted quickly and fired wildly at the other approaching zombies.
On the other side, there were figures stepping and jumping lightly, mixed with the sound of daggers cutting, and the sound of zombies falling to the ground was very light.
"Brother Sanshui!"
Zheng Miao heard a familiar shout and glanced over. It was Xiao Yue, accompanied by a girl with a ponytail and wearing a leather jacket and shorts. The two men, guns in hand, coordinated their fire, breaking through the encirclement.
A gust of air swept past her. Zheng Miao tilted her head, and her thin figure grabbed the tall zombie that was gradually approaching. She stepped onto the food display table on the side and stabbed the black-handled dagger in her hand into the zombie's head.
The tall zombie twisted, and she gently put the zombie down, moving so fast that people could hardly see clearly.
Lu Cai looked up with a cold gaze. She sensed Cheng Mushen's presence. He was right here.
"Where is Cheng Mushen?" she asked.
Zheng Miao frowned, trying to determine whether the girl in front of him was Cheng Mushen's accomplice.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Lu Cai cast his eyes towards the door frame on the side that was blocked by plasticine.
Qin Yu walked forward. They used the shelves to block the way, but they couldn't hold out for long.
"This is 'Xi Tu', a recyclable prop." Qin Yu raised his hand and gently touched the edge of the plasticine, scraping it back and forth a few times. The plasticine suddenly folded up and fell into the palm of Qin Yu's hand.
The strong system traces made Lu Cai unable to suppress the anger in his heart.
Qin Yu noticed that she was in a bad mood, patted Lu Cai on the shoulder, and the group walked out of the garage.
There were also a few zombies in the garage, seemingly wandering in by mistake. Several people cleaned up the area, with Lu Cai running at the front.
Why didn't she sense any traces of Cheng Mushen's system before?
They are so close!
They just entered City B and planned to replenish some supplies. Except for Zhao Yan who stayed in the car to prepare, the other three got out.
But it was not until just now, when they were discussing whether to bring a few boxes of instant noodles in the instant noodle area, that she realized Cheng Mushen was nearby.
I jumped out of the garage and was met by a zombie, who was limping, probably because of an old illness.
Lu Cai dodged, clenching the dagger in her hand. A bullet flew past her, leaving a faint trail of gunpowder smoke, and directly pierced the zombie's head—brain matter splattered everywhere.
Lu Cai raised his eyes and met Zheng Miao's gaze. His eyes were as deep as a whirlpool, and a complex and indistinguishable emotion was hidden in them.
Lu Cai didn't react much. He just glanced sideways at a street jammed with traffic, and rushed to the side without saying a word.
"Lu Cai!" Xiao Yue was a little confused, "Our car is over there—"
Qin Yu watched Lu Cai running away and said, "She went to find her companions."
"Companion?" Xiao Yue was still a little confused.
Zheng Miao frowned and hurriedly chased after him.
This time it was Qin Yu who was stunned.
Xiao Yue immediately entered a state of preparation: "Lu Cai's companions are not good people!"
——
Zhao Manman was waiting for the two men to come back when the car door was opened and Cheng Mushen sat in the driver's seat.
He looked up at the rearview mirror and said, "We are surrounded by zombies."
Zhao Manman seemed to have anticipated this outcome. She sat in the back seat in a daze. When she heard the car being hit, she woke up with a start, opened the back door and ran out.
"Fuck it!" Cheng Mushen moved even faster. He got out of the car, grabbed her wrist, and threw her back into the back seat.
Zhao Manman screamed and sat up, then saw him get into the back seat. She raised her hand to open the other door, but he yanked her back.
His neck was grabbed and his eyes flashed before he saw Cheng Mushen's face.
The face that used to be straight and handsome was now distorted like a demon, and his eyes were as ferocious as a beast.
"I'm telling you, don't be such a jerk!" Cheng Mushen was torn apart by hatred. "What's so good about him? He's hypocritical and all he does is act in front of others!"
Although she was extremely frightened, Zhao Manman finally realized that he was not talking about Zheng Miao.
"What do you like about him? Why do you all like him? Have you liked him since you were little?" Cheng Mushen laughed crazily, "Now it's all gone. I am Cheng Mushen!"
After saying that, he suddenly bullied Zhao Manman, lips and teeth touching, one hand pinched Zhao Manman's neck, and the other hand moved down -
Zhao Manman beat him desperately, even raising her hands to pinch the flesh on his shoulders. The hands on his neck tightened more and more, and a feeling of suffocation came over her.
Suddenly, I felt a sense of emptiness in my body and heard the sound of my head hitting the roof of the car.
She blinked her blurry eyes, coughed violently a few times, and looked out through the open car door. Cheng Mushen was pressed to the ground by a thin figure. He was face down on the sidewalk, his hands were pinched, and his back was stepped on.
Zhao Manman's eyes felt hot with her messy short hair, black T-shirt, and army green camouflage overalls.
Lu Cai! Lu Cai is not dead——
Pressing Cheng Mushen to the ground, Lu Cai recalled the scene he saw when he rushed over just now...this bitch and scumbag!
Cheng Mushen was a little terrified. He had imagined the situation where Lu Cai was not dead, but he never thought that he would encounter such a situation.
"Lu Cai, are you okay?" Cheng Mushen forced out a strange laugh.
Lu Cai said nothing and directly took out the map on the white silk handkerchief.
Cheng Mushen's pupils suddenly shrank, and he said, "What is this? It looks like the H City Animal World..."
No one knew that he had given Lin Yong the map. When Lu Cai entered the hyena area, Lin Yong had already died. At most, he had watched him die without rescuing him. It was human instinct to protect oneself in times of danger. She couldn't take his life just because he hadn't saved Lin Yong.
Lu Cai's eyes darkened. She didn't kill him immediately, partly because she was timid. After all, he was a living person, not a dead body. On the other hand... she was also worried that her guess was wrong.
But his first reaction when he saw the handkerchief was to deny that he had anything to do with it.
Perhaps for Cheng Mushen, denial was the best option, because no one knew that the handkerchief was his, but in Lu Cai's eyes, it was evidence of his confession.
There were footsteps approaching, and Zhao Manman also got out of the car.
"Lin Yong followed this map and accidentally entered the spotted hyena activity area—" Lu Cai's voice was very cold. She restrained her tone and acted indifferently. "At that time, you had two tasks: find your partner and then find the source of the virus..."
She kept thinking all the way, why did Cheng Mushen want Lin Yong to die? She thought of a possibility and felt a chill down her spine.
"—There are mutants lurking at the exit. If you were a player with superpowers, you might have won with a desperate fight. Unfortunately, you don't have superpowers." Lu Cai said slowly, "So you followed the method prepared for you in the dungeon—first find a partner and use him as a sacrifice to fill the mutant's stomach, giving you enough time to leave."
Qin Yu ran over at this time and was dumbfounded when he heard what Lu Cai said.
Cheng Mushen became excited: "How did you know! You are not an NPC!" He began to struggle.
"I'm an NPC." Lu Cai let go of Cheng Mushen.
Cheng Mushen stood up quickly and was about to take out his weapon when a cold wind swept past.
His neck felt hot and before his body could feel the pain, a large amount of hot blood spurted out.
Lu Cai suppressed the nausea in his heart and dodged behind him. Cheng Mushen fell down with his hands covering his neck, and bright red blood flowed all over the ground.
The others were silent for a while.
Cheng Mushen twitched for a moment, then stopped moving. He lay on the ground, not turning gray as expected.
【00:23:59:59】
"He has a resurrection card. He will be resurrected on the spot after 24 hours." Qin Yu stepped forward.
Lu Cai stared at the dark green countdown on the corpse, feeling a strange feeling in her heart. She grasped the dagger and stabbed it, the blade piercing through the figure of Cheng Mushen.
After a while, she said, "You guys go ahead, I'll stay here."
Every time he woke up, she killed him. The player had three resurrection cards, but she didn't believe in this. She only had to wait three days.
Qin Yu stared at the girl squatting on the ground, and she thought of a sentence - hatred always lasts longer than love.
But she never imagined that Lu Cai's relentless pursuit of her was actually for revenge.
At the corner of the street in the distance, the sound of staggering footsteps and incessant roars began to be heard.
"A large number of zombies are coming towards us--" Xiao Yue shouted.
Qin Yu pulled at Lu Cai, but he didn't move.
Lu Cai was truly dissatisfied. Why could he be resurrected while Lin Yong had to die? Was this the purpose of this game mechanic?
Selfish, cruel and brutal people can survive, while innocent and kind people can only die?
Zhao Manman hurried over and squatted down beside Lu Cai: "If you don't leave, I won't leave!" Her voice was hoarse and filled with tears.
She didn't understand what Lu Cai said, but she knew one thing - Cheng Mushen killed Lin Yong.
Lin Yong had a good temper and, although he was timid, he always took good care of her. Zhao Manman was willing to accompany Lu Cai. She looked up at Lu Cai's cold brows, but felt a faint warmth in her heart.
"Don't fight here, it's either you or me!" Qin Yu had a headache. "You guys stayed here, and before he could be resurrected, he turned into a zombie first! If you can survive, I'll kill him in the side story next time!"
Lu Cai's eyes lit up and he looked up at Qin Yu.
Qin Yu was already feeling guilty, and when she looked at her, she became even more panicked. After all, she had never killed a living person since entering the game.
But now he is here instigating others, and I feel a chill in my heart.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
