Chen Du glanced at Xie Li and suggested, "Alright, shall we go ahead and enter?"
Glancing up at the sky, he added, "Judging by the clouds, it's likely to rain soon. We need to hurry before things get messy—tonight, we'll rest in the big villa."
Xie Li smiled warmly, replying, "Great! Hopefully, there's a cozy bed inside where we can finally catch some decent rest!"
With no further delay, the two quickly organized their supplies and set off toward their destination.
Upon entering the villa district, Chen Du guided Xie Li along a narrow grassy path behind the cluster of villas. This route was typically reserved for property inspections, rarely used by anyone under normal circumstances. However, with the current zombie infestation, Chen Du couldn't be certain whether this secluded trail would remain clear. He took a calculated risk. A frontal assault would undoubtedly attract every zombie in sight, serving them up as an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Fortunately, luck was on their side—the grassy path remained eerily quiet. Just as they were about to step off the trail, however, a lone zombie staggered into view from the far end. Chen Du, positioned at the front as usual, found himself face-to-face with the creature almost instantly.
Before he could even reach for his weapon, the zombie lunged forward, its arms flailing wildly.
Zzzt! Zzzt!
Two sharp arrows whistled past Chen Du's ear, embedding themselves deep into the zombie's gaping mouth. The creature erupted in a burst of gore, collapsing heavily onto Chen Du. Pushing the lifeless body aside, Chen Du turned to see Xie Li, trembling but holding her crossbow steady. He gave her a thumbs-up.
"I had no idea you were such a crack shot, Dr. Xie."
Xie Li exhaled shakily, snapping out of her daze. "Are you okay? That scared me half to death! I just fired without thinking, and then I realized how close you were—I thought I might hit you! Thankfully, I got the zombie instead…"
Listening to her confession, Chen Du—who hadn't flinched when facing the zombie moments earlier—now felt a cold sweat break out across his forehead. Thinking back to the arrows that narrowly missed him, he muttered inwardly, That was too close. One misstep, and I'd have been killed—not by the zombies, but by my own teammate…
"Anyway, I'm fine," he said aloud, brushing off the tension. "Let's keep moving. The shelter we picked out is nearby."
At that moment, distant shouts echoed from the outer perimeter of the villa area.
"Damn it! Move in fast and secure one of the villas! Once we're inside, those zombies won't stand a chance against us."
"Fire the arrows! Suppress their attacks and burn them down!"
Chen Du frowned. It seemed other players had infiltrated the villa area as well. But this worked to their advantage—they could draw the majority of the zombies away while slipping through unnoticed. From the sound of it, the group was sizable.
Grabbing Xie Li's hand, Chen Du seized the opportunity created by the chaos and sprinted off the grassy path, heading straight for their chosen villa. Along the way, a few zombies caught their scent and charged after them. Before they could close the distance, Chen Du hurled Molotov cocktails to hold them at bay. Finally, he tossed a grenade into the horde.
BOOM!
The explosion sent bodies flying, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. With the path cleared, the two dashed into the lakeside villa.
The commotion caused by Chen Du's actions did not go unnoticed by the group outside.
"What the hell?! There are players inside too?"
"He's got grenades?!"
"So what? We've got one too. He probably only has the one. Damn it, I was saving ours, but looks like we'll have to use it now."
Moments later, another explosion rocked the air.
Once inside the villa, Chen Du and Xie Li slammed the door shut behind them, only to discover several zombies lingering on the first floor. Without hesitation, Chen Du pulled out his M9 and began firing. Xie Li joined in, unleashing a flurry of poorly aimed shots. Together, they swiftly eliminated the remaining threats.
Outside, Chen Du had deliberately avoided using his M9, opting instead to expend his limited supply of Molotov cocktails and even a grenade. His reasoning was simple: guns were far too valuable to reveal casually. While explosives like Molotovs and grenades were rare, they could still be purchased on the trading platform. Firearms, on the other hand, were considered priceless treasures—no one dared list them for sale.
Having secured the villa, Chen Du and Xie Li declared it their long-term shelter. At the same time, a notification popped up on Chen Du's interface.
[Dear player, this shelter is currently unclaimed. Would you like to take control of it?]
[Yes/No]
Chen Du selected "Yes."
As the system confirmed his choice, Chen Du felt a subtle shift—a sense of ownership settling over the villa. It was now officially theirs.
[Villa Area Shelter: A safe haven for players to rest and recuperate. Can be upgraded with blueprints to withstand zombie hordes and challenges from rival players.]
Turning to Xie Li, Chen Du smiled. "Dr. Xie, this villa will be our home for the foreseeable future. You can think of it as our sanctuary in this apocalyptic world."
Watching Xie Li's relieved laughter, Chen Du allowed himself to relax for the first time since the mission began. Indeed, finding a safe refuge in a world overrun by zombies was nothing short of miraculous.
After exploring the interior, Chen Du stepped onto the second-floor balcony. From this vantage point, he observed the group that had charged in from the front. Though they had managed to breach the villa area, their losses were staggering. Judging by the state of their equipment, they must have expended most of their resources during the fight. After all, nearly half the zombies in the entire villa district had converged on their position.
In another villa, a young man approached a middle-aged figure lounging on a luxurious leather sofa. "Boss Jiang, we've suffered heavy casualties. Half our men are dead, and we're completely out of ammunition. All we have left are melee weapons…"
Ethan listened silently, his expression darkening with each word. Slamming his fist on the marble coffee table, he growled, "Damn it! This is all because of the shitty intel! They told us the villa district was lightly infested, so we went in guns blazing. Now we've wiped out most of the zombies here, sure—but at what cost?!"
Just as he finished venting, a bolt of lightning split the sky, followed by a deafening thunderclap.
CRACK!
The oppressive black clouds finally gave way, unleashing a torrential downpour. The temperature plummeted, and the air grew damp and frigid.
The chat channel lit up with frantic messages.
ID 85245: "What bad luck! I thought the rain would provide drinking water, but when I collected a bucket, it turned out to be acid rain?! Not only that, but touching it burned like crazy—it felt like my skin was melting off!"
ID 857857: "I was just about to collect some myself… Screw it, I'll take it anyway. If we ever run out of clean water, boiled acid rain might taste better than bottled spring water!"