"Roar, roar!"
A zombie lunged at Huan Tian, but unexpectedly, he slammed them down one by one and leapt over their bodies. Lin Qingqing quickly followed, jumping over as well.
"No, don't leave me! Don't leave me!"
Only then did Liang Jing snap out of it, scrambling up from the ground, desperately trying to catch up. But the zombies that had just been knocked down were already getting back on their feet. The ones originally chasing Huan Tian and Lin Qingqing suddenly stopped, turning their heads with their lifeless eyes locking onto Liang Jing.
"No, no!"
Liang Jing's face instantly turned pale. She hurriedly retreated into the emergency passage, slammed the door shut, and jammed the shovel into the lock. Outside, the zombies violently pounded on the emergency door, each strike making Liang Jing's face grow even paler.
Suddenly, a surge of impulse hit her—this shovel could be a weapon. Maybe she could fight off the zombies and escape just like Lin Qingqing!
Just as she reached out to grab the shovel, footsteps and snarls drew closer outside. The zombies at the other end of the corridor had caught the scent of her blood, rushing this way.
Sure enough, two terrifying faces appeared outside the door, desperately stretching out their shattered arms, trying to reach through. The bloodied scent filled them with frenzy.
Liang Jing's hand snapped back like lightning. She curled up, trembling in the corner, sinking into despair.
"I can't go out the door, only deeper into the emergency passage… Don't be afraid, maybe I'm lucky and won't run into any zombies…"
She kept encouraging herself, but her trembling feet refused to move.
Then, suddenly, a crisp "click" echoed clearly through the emergency passage. It was unmistakably the sound of a human turning a lock—zombies wouldn't open doors like that.
Liang Jing suddenly looked up, crazed with joy, shouting out loud in place, tears welling up as if about to cry tears of happiness.
"Someone! I'm here, there's someone here too!"
"Take me with you, please—"
Just a moment ago, Liang Jing was still cheering with excitement, but the next second her shout got stuck like a stone lodged in her throat—no words could come out.
She suddenly remembered where she was: on the rooftop!
Above her was only one door—the only way out to the rooftop terrace.
Outside, the rain was pouring down in torrents. Who in their right mind would come in through this? It couldn't possibly be a human!
In an instant, the wild joy in Liang Jing's eyes turned into an overwhelming terror. Her face twisted with fear so intense that even her muscles began to twitch strangely.
At that moment, a shadow appeared around the corner of the stairs above, followed by a bare foot stepping into view first.
The moment Liang Jing saw the newcomer, the despair on her face suddenly shifted into disbelief, her eyes filled with shock.
"How could it be you… What happened to your body…"
"No, don't come closer. Take whatever you're holding away!"
"Ah—!"
…
Lin Qingqing's running footsteps came to an abrupt halt, but only for an instant.
A scream from Liang Jing brushed past her ears just moments ago, yet in Lin Qingqing's eyes, Liang Jing's actions were unforgivable.
Staring at the cold, chilling figure dashing ahead, Lin Qingqing suddenly felt a surge of curiosity toward Huan Tian.
Cold and ruthless, rational to the point of despair, every choice he made was the optimal one at that moment.
It was as if he were born for this apocalypse.
But… does such a "perfect" person truly exist?
The system-initiated communication.
[Current total Hunting Points: 50]
Seeing the number of Hunting Points, Huan Tian fell into thought. The system had just made it clear that zombies killed by Lin Qingqing were also counted toward his tally, which left him puzzled.
"System, why are the zombies Lin Qingqing kills counted toward my total?"
[Ding. Lin Qingqing currently has 100% complete trust in the host, and the host's trust in Lin Qingqing exceeds 50%. The Hunter System automatically registers Lin Qingqing as a named member of the Hunter Squad. Under this status, all zombies slain by Lin Qingqing under the host's orders are converted into Hunting Points for the host. ]
Hunter System… Hunter Squad…
A complex mix of emotions stirred in Huan Tian's mind as he glanced back at Lin Qingqing—this woman was recognized by his system as a named member of the squad?
However, this doubt passed quickly.
Back then, thousands of warriors had earned named membership in the Hunter Squad. Everyone took pride in being a named squad member—one more person made little difference.
Lin Qingqing felt somewhat baffled under his gaze, but her sensitivity caught the subtle change deep within Huan Tian's usually cold and ruthless eyes. That chill was swiftly melting away, replaced by something indescribable.
"From here, we head this way. The warehouse we need to reach is just ahead."
"This warehouse on the top floor was set up by logistics. The construction crew stored many tools here for timely repairs. All backup food for the top-floor staff rest area is also kept here."
Lin Qingqing's voice brightened noticeably, but before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly realized Huan Tian had slammed on the brakes sharply at the corner ahead!
Barefoot, Lin Qingqing couldn't stop in time and crashed into Huan Tian's broad back with a thud.
"How…?"
"Shh! Don't speak!"
Huan Tian quickly spun around and pressed Lin Qingqing against the wall just beyond the corner, firmly covering her mouth and nose with his right hand. Silence instantly fell around them, and Lin Qingqing could even hear the pounding of their racing hearts.
[Ding. Tier-2 zombie detected nearby. Tier-2 zombie hunting mission activated.]
[Current mission: Hunt down the first Tier-2 zombie.]
[Mission reward: 5 cubic meters of survival space, accessible after system-bound item retrieval.]
"Damn it! How did we run into a Tier-2 zombie?"
The system alert had startled Huan Tian just now. The 5 cubic meters of survival space was indeed tempting, but it also meant the Tier-2 zombie was close by!
Lin Qingqing's eyes widened in disbelief as she noticed the absolute calm on Huan Tian's face break for the first time, sweat beginning to trickle down his forehead.
At the same moment, both felt a strange sensation.
A heavy stench of blood filled the air, thicker than anything they had encountered before, and the breath seemed to carry a faintly sweet scent.
Meanwhile, from the end of the corridor they were about to enter came heavy, unfamiliar footsteps.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With each step, Huan Tian and Lin Qingqing could feel vibrations underfoot, as if standing next to a pile driver.
The instant the footsteps sounded, cold sweat began sliding down Huan Tian's cheeks.
Lin Qingqing distinctly felt the palm covering her mouth and nose growing clammy with sweat, and panic quickly gripped her as well.
The footsteps stopped for a moment, then resumed the next second—this time moving in their direction.
Lin Qingqing's face turned completely pale. She glanced back toward where they had come from and faintly saw several elongated shadows slowly approaching.
This was it—the kind of monster even Huan Tian couldn't handle. What could they do?
"Is there anywhere nearby to hide? The smaller the room, the better."
"Don't speak. Just point."
Lin Qingqing raised her trembling finger, pointing to a nearby office door with three characters written on it: Storage Room.
Suddenly, Huan Tian grabbed Lin Qingqing into his arms and dashed toward that room. Even at full sprint, Lin Qingqing heard no sound at all.
When they reached the door, Huan Tian immediately tried to turn the latch, but his hands and feet went icy cold.
Click, click.
The door was locked!