Chapter 4: The Murder
At this point, all that was left for the upgrade was 12 kilograms of wood and 75 kilograms of iron. The iron gate and the supply crate were heavy—but not enough.
Now, Kai Ren faced a problem: there was barely any space left to move inside the crypt, and he had to make room for another 75 kilograms of iron.
So he dismantled two chairs, broke them into pieces, and stacked them with the rest of the wood.
> "Let's eat something first."
Kai pulled out the instant ramen packet. It was dry and chewy, but it filled him up just enough.
He checked the screen to see if any of his trades had gone through.
> "It's sold."
As expected, someone bought the snake meat. After all, it was food.
When he collected the trade, a 5-kilogram stone chunk materialized in front of him—and nearly crushed his foot.
> "Damn! At least give me a warning!"
The chat room was buzzing. Two survivors had apparently joined up.
[Confirmed! You can join another survivor's crypt. I moved all my supplies into his crypt. We're just 20 kg of wood away from Level 2.]
[Amazing! Hurry and upgrade so we can see what Level 2 crypts are like!]
Kai narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right. In a lawless world like this, how could two strangers trust each other so easily?
> "Better be careful if I meet someone. Can't assume the best."
He checked his pistol. As long as he had that, he could handle most threats.
Meanwhile, in another crypt, a woman was pinned to the wall by a man—the same one boasting in the chat room.
This wasn't cooperation. It was ambush and assault. He had found her on the floor, knocked her unconscious, looted her supplies, and dragged her into his crypt.
> "Now you're mine."
(The following graphic content is omitted.)
As afternoon passed, Kai's half bottle of stream water also sold. Another 5 kilograms of iron.
> "Only 70 kilograms more… I need a floor full of iron."
He lay down and fell asleep, conserving energy.
——
"Ding! The floor the host is about to enter is the recycling center. No hostiles detected. The area contains scrap metal, waste paper, and other recyclables."
Kai's eyes snapped open.
> "No danger? Scrap metal?! Jackpot!"
"Ding Dong! The crypt is ascending. Please hold on."
> "Upward? That's new..."
Until now, it had only gone down. Was this a return to earlier floors? Or something else?
The crypt stopped. Kai opened the doors and stepped out.
A field of organized waste greeted him—stacked, sorted, and categorized. He headed toward the metal pile.
> "I'm rich! All this iron… If I sold it, I'd be swimming in iron!"
Then he froze. A voice echoed nearby.
Someone else was here.
Kai crouched low. He had the element of surprise—and the gun.
He spotted the man whistling, collecting scrap. He hadn't noticed Kai yet.
> "Two options... cooperate or rob. But I've got the upper hand."
Kai clicked the pistol's safety off and stepped forward.
> "Don't move!"
The man flinched, dropped the scrap, and raised his hands.
> "Whoa whoa! Hey man, no need to shoot! We're both survivors. Let's work together!"
> "I want to see sincerity. I have a gun. This is my floor now."
> "Of course! I'll move everything to your crypt right now!"
He sprinted to his own crypt, hiding a blade in his palm. He returned with a box in hand.
> "Don't shoot! Here's everything!"
He suddenly hurled the box and lunged with the blade.
Kai fired.
BANG!
The bullet hit the man square in the forehead. His head burst open like a rotten fruit.
Kai gagged. Killing zombies was one thing—this was different.
Blood pooled on the crypt floor.
Still trembling, Kai stepped past the body.
> "No one's trustworthy. That could've been me lying there."