Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 77

Jin Ye didn’t know the location of the Zone 2 Restricted Area, and Zhou Zhou was also unaware. Their previous range of activity was completely unrelated to the restricted area.

Coincidentally, it wasn’t just them who wanted to go to the restricted area. The players of all stripes attracted by the post had also developed a strong interest in the Zone 2 Restricted Area. Some of them genuinely intended to eliminate the zombie trio, while others were just onlookers hoping to join the fun and pick up some scraps. In short, there were quite a few posts on the forum asking for directions.

Xiao Li patiently paid attention. The posts were full of joking and irrelevant answers, and many players maliciously posted incorrect information to mislead others. It was unknown what kind of mentality these people had, lurking on the forums as if they feared the world wasn’t chaotic enough.

However, with so many people discussing it, someone was bound to reveal the correct location. The most frequently mentioned place was the original site of the provincial-level biomedical industrial base in Nan Province.

Jin Ye knew of Nan Province; it was a neighboring province. Although it was next door, it was still several hundred kilometers from their camp, a drive that would take over ten hours.

They didn’t know the specific location of the so-called research base. Tang Yu decided they would head to Nan Province first and figure it out from there. They would surely be able to find the exact location eventually.

After taking care of all matters, big and small, at the camp, Tang Yu, Jin Ye, and Xiao Li packed their luggage. They prepared thoroughly with rations, various types of lighting, a compass, and other wilderness tools. Tang Yu judged that this trip would be extremely dangerous. In addition to cold weapons, she also brought a short-barreled handgun.

Initially, Zhou Zhou had no interest in this journey. She didn’t want to get dragged into wars between players and just wanted to do her own thing in peace. Furthermore, her new medicine was indeed still in the development stage, making it difficult for her to leave the camp for a while.

But after learning that the restricted area was at the provincial-level biomedical industrial base, Zhou Zhou had a change of heart. It was right up her alley. You didn’t need a brain to figure out how professional the equipment inside would be, certainly much better than what could be scrounged from ordinary hospitals.

Therefore, on the day of departure, Zhou Zhou wordlessly shouldered a bag and followed the trio. This time, she didn’t bring her leather suitcase but carried a hiking backpack, just like Tang Yu and the others.

“Let’s get this straight…” Zhou Zhou began, but Xiao Li immediately cut her off. “We know, we know. No saving people.”

Xiao Li grinned, a clearly meaningful expression on her face.

Zhou Zhou’s mouth twitched. “Right. And no moving things either.”

The four of them hit the road in the van that had been parked at the reservoir. It was a seven-seater van with plenty of empty space. They tossed their backpacks in the back and took turns driving.

The journey was long, so Tang Yu used the time to think about their strategy.

Their trip to the restricted area had two objectives. First, to figure out the identity of the new zombie trio and their intentions for causing such a huge commotion. Second, to show their faces to the players and clear their names. At the very least, they needed to let the players know that the two zombie teams were not the same group.

They had originally planned to let it be. Having a real and a fake zombie team wasn’t entirely a bad thing; it could even help draw some fire away from them. But they hadn’t expected that in just three days, that other team would cause such a huge uproar and make so many enemies. The grudges formed with the players couldn’t all be blamed on Tang Yu.

In Tang Yu’s consideration, their camp would definitely be exposed one day. If they didn’t clear their names this time, more players would come looking for them, which would certainly speed up the camp’s exposure.

Of course, they couldn’t just jump in front of the players and plead, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it, don’t talk nonsense.” They would surely be shot full of holes. They just needed to appear before the players at the same time as the other zombie team, in opposing roles. Even being in the same frame for a second would be enough.

However, this wasn’t their main objective. The most important thing was to see what the deal was with this newly emerged zombie trio.

Jin Ye, in the driver’s seat, reminded them, “A lot of players will definitely be going to the restricted area these next two days. I’m afraid it’s become a de facto server-wide mission. We should avoid them if we can and not get into any direct conflicts.”

Their gear was no different from that of players. They wore baseball caps and black windbreakers. To cover the black veins on their arms, Tang Yu and Jin Ye still wore long-sleeved clothes despite the gradually warming weather. With Zhou Zhou joining them, they were no longer such a conspicuous group of three.

However, the players were highly vigilant now, so the method of pretending to be human might not be that effective. They would all have to adapt to the situation as it unfolded.

The van drove south along an abandoned provincial highway. This road wasn’t necessarily the right one, but heading south couldn’t be wrong. They followed the compass, always maintaining a southerly direction.

After winding through a stretch of mountains, Jin Ye, who was driving, suddenly saw a black sedan driving on a spiral overpass ahead.

The car was moving very slowly and was still decelerating. Because of this, Jin Ye, who was behind them, caught up.

On an empty road, a moving vehicle easily attracts attention. Jin Ye immediately hit the brakes and parked the van behind an abandoned car. The group lowered themselves and peered ahead through the windshield.

To their surprise, the car ahead also pulled over to the side of the road. Tang Yu held her breath, her hand moving to the knife at her waist. She couldn’t confirm if the other party had noticed anything unusual and could only wait and see.

After about two minutes, two people got out of the car, a man and a woman. Both were young, and from their practical attire, they looked like players.

After opening the car door, the woman walked straight towards Tang Yu’s vehicle.

They were quite far apart, a walk of about five minutes. The woman’s target was so clear; she had obviously spotted their van.

Tang Yu patted Jin Ye. The two of them shifted their bodies, squeezing through the gap between the seats to the very back row. With the cover of the tinted film and the backpacks, it was difficult to see from the outside that there were two people dressed in black in the back seat.

The woman first checked the condition of the abandoned car parked in front, then walked up to the van and knocked on the window. She saw Xiao Li in the front passenger seat and asked loudly through the glass, “Our car is out of gas. Can we borrow some from you?”

Her tone was very friendly, and she didn’t try to peer into the car. Her behavior was very polite and restrained.

Xiao Li turned to look at Zhou Zhou in the back seat, but her gaze went through the seats, glancing towards Tang Yu and Jin Ye.

Tang Yu gave a very slight nod. In her premonition, this was a request worth granting.

Only then did Xiao Li roll down the window and ask the woman, “There are abandoned cars up ahead too. Is there no gas in them?”

The woman shook her head. “No, there isn’t. If it’s not convenient, that’s okay. We’ll figure something else out.”

This player was different from those who would draw their weapons at the first opportunity. Perhaps not wanting to make enemies, the woman appeared approachable and didn’t try to forcibly take their supplies.

Xiao Li’s eyes darted as an idea formed in her mind. Instead of first agreeing to lend the gas, she changed the subject. “Where are you headed? Are you also going to the Zone 2 Restricted Area?”

Given the time and route, it was pretty obvious.

The woman didn’t deny it, nodding. “Yes. Something happened over there, so we’re going to check out the commotion. You too?”

“Yep!” Xiao Li replied with a lively smile on her face. She struck while the iron was hot and asked, “Do you know the way?”

Perhaps Xiao Li’s friendly reply made the woman lower her guard. Her shoulders visibly relaxed a bit as she answered, “We already have teammates who’ve arrived there. We can follow their location.”

Only then did Xiao Li state her request. “How about this: we’ll lend you some gas, and you lead the way for us. Deal?”

It was a fair trade. The woman’s face lit up with joy, and she agreed.

Tang Yu’s camp had collected a lot of gasoline, originally intended as fuel for generators. Since this was a long trip, they had brought some along, and now it could be used for a trade.

The gasoline can was in the back of the van, in a spot Tang Yu could reach by just extending her hand. But she didn’t move, doing a good job of concealing her presence.

Zhou Zhou didn’t move either. When she said she wouldn’t move things, she really meant it.

Xiao Li thought for a moment and didn’t get out of the van. She squeezed through the gap between the seats to the back, grabbed a half-full can of gas, and squeezed back to the passenger seat, handing the gas to the woman through the window. This troublesome maneuver was necessary, and both sides knew why. Getting out of the car was not an option. They had just met, and Xiao Li couldn’t possibly expose herself outside the vehicle.

The woman also fully understood Xiao Li’s cautiousness. She said her thanks and returned to her car.

Not ten minutes later, the woman returned to give back the empty can, also bringing two packs of compressed biscuits as a thank-you gift.

Afterward, the small car led the way, and Xiao Li drove the van, following from a distance of a hundred meters as they headed toward the restricted area.

Tang Yu examined the compressed biscuits from left to right. There were no signs of them being opened, nor were there any leaks. This kind of vacuum-sealed packaging made it easy to tell if it had been tampered with. They were just ordinary biscuits.

Tang Yu clicked her tongue in amazement. “I’ve seen so many bad people, it’s quite surprising to occasionally meet such a well-mannered player.”

Jin Ye said, “The player population is huge; there are all sorts of people in it. Still, you can’t let your guard down. We need to be careful not to be led into a trap. If something feels wrong, we run.”

The two vehicles drove for another half a day and soon crossed the border into Nan Province. The number of cars on the road increased. At first, Xiao Li tried to avoid them, but eventually, it became too difficult. Seeing that no one was attacking them, she openly followed behind the small car. From another perspective, it looked as if they were on the same team as the sedan.

Unexpectedly, the player vehicles on the road weren’t attacking each other. Jin Ye put herself in their shoes and understood the reason.

None of these people had reached the restricted area yet. Fighting so soon would only result in losses that outweighed the gains. This trip to the restricted area was unlike other server-wide missions. For server-wide missions, the fewer competitors, the better. But this time, everyone’s goal was to kill the zombie trio. The benefits of cooperation outweighed those of infighting. Some convoys had even formed temporary alliances on the road.

Players were like that, a pile of scattered magnets. When they had a common interest, they were allies drawn to each other. When there was a conflict, they wouldn’t hesitate to strike. Jin Ye didn’t deny that there were genuinely loyal and righteous players, but the environment changes people. Players now were more adept at self-preservation.

After getting off the highway, the traffic split into several streams. It seemed no one had a clear direction; people were heading off every which way.

Xiao Li followed the car in front onto a small road. The path became more and more remote. Tang Yu, who had originally thought they were heading toward the city center, began to grow wary.

The leading car drove towards the city outskirts. The surrounding buildings gradually gave way to low-slung factory buildings. Coincidentally, it was getting late. Darkness covered the road, casting an unshakable gloom over their hearts.