The walls of the elevator waiting area were splattered with vast streaks of blood, thick and viscous as it oozed downward.
Panicked visitors who had fled down the emergency exit hurriedly found their vehicles and sped off, but not long after, cars began to lose control, crashing into one another. Survivors in passing cars were disheveled and trembling, their eyes darting to the scene of a collision where the occupants inside were tearing at each other, their blood smearing the windows in a gruesome tableau.
The driver, shaken to his core, muttered, "Someone in that car must've been injured—it got bad after they got in. This is horrifying. How could such a terrifying infection break out so suddenly? Thank goodness we took the emergency exit, or we'd be finished! Why aren't you saying anything? You—"
His voice choked off, breath held in suspense as he slowly turned to look at his friend in the passenger seat, who had remained silent since getting in the car, head bowed and motionless.
"Jun?"
Jun lifted his head, his features grotesquely contorted in agony, veins of black creeping across his eyes. The last shred of his rationality vanished as he lunged at the driver!
Boom!
Another car collided with a pillar, its rear swinging wildly and smashing into the vehicle behind it. The horde of undead surging from the elevator area sprinted toward every source of living breath, and the underground parking garage fell into chaos.
At the ramp exit, the car Eric and Taylor were in smashed through the barrier and sped into the streets, where pandemonium reigned. People were running in every direction, cars had crashed and stalled haphazardly across the road, and in the distance, one vehicle lay overturned, smoke billowing from its wreckage.
"Damn it, there's no way through!" Taylor gritted his teeth, flooring the accelerator to ram aside a car blocking their path, forcing their way through.
Thud!
A figure slammed into their car, frantically pounding on the window and pleading for help.
"Save me! Please, open the door and take me with you!"
It was a middle-aged NPC woman. Neither Eric nor Taylor responded, their focus solely on finding an escape route.
The next moment, another figure darted out from nowhere, sinking its teeth into the woman's face and dragging her to the ground. Eric clutched the kitchen knife she'd just retrieved, the stench of blood penetrating the glass windows and filling her nostrils.
The car jolted violently as the tires rolled over something, making their progress all the more difficult. Eric glanced back and saw two figures writhing on the ground, blood pooling beneath them. Within seconds, the zombie atop the woman ceased its attack, abandoning its prey. The bitten woman staggered to her feet, her leg mangled but undeterred as she hobbled after the car in pursuit!
The car turned onto another street, and Eric lost sight of her.
"I've done a zombie school dungeon before," Eric volunteered. "The portal appeared at the school gate."
The new avenue was wider, and Taylor's mood lightened slightly. Encouraged by Eric's sharing, he replied, "I've done a zombie amusement park dungeon too. The portal was, of all places, in the top cabin of the Ferris wheel—utterly ridiculous. Any thoughts on this one?"
"We need to determine the scope of this dungeon first," Eric said, drawing from her experience of over a dozen dungeons.
"Good point. I have a feeling this one's going to take a while. We should stock up on food—can't afford to waste healing packs just because we're starving. Low stamina's a death sentence in an escape scenario. Food's crucial."
Eric didn't disagree. She scanned the surroundings. "It seems calmer out here. The place we spawned must've been the epicenter of the outbreak, and the rest hasn't been affected yet?"
Police cars and ambulances raced past them. Up ahead, a roadblock appeared, and a traffic officer signaled for them to stop.
"Damn it, this dungeon's too close to reality. The NPCs are too involved—it's bad for us," Taylor grumbled as they were halted.
Eric looked behind them. Theirs wasn't the only car that had fled the outbreak zone; all were being stopped.
"Please present your identification and documents," the officer demanded.
Taylor forced a sheepish smile. "This car isn't mine—I found it along the way. My sister and I lost our IDs too."
The officer frowned. "Then at least provide your names. Do you remember your ID numbers?"
"We do, but we just escaped a life-threatening situation. We're still a bit shaken…" Taylor feigned distress. "It's a bit hard to recall right now. Sis, do you remember yours?"
Eric shrank back, shaking her head timidly.
"Step out of the vehicle, please. You'll need to cooperate with quarantine procedures."
Taylor and Eric exited, led into an ambulance.
Other escapees received the same treatment. As they stepped out, some covered in blood, bystanders gasped and murmured in fear, speculating about what disaster had unfolded.
One vehicle defied all instructions, barreling directly into the barricade and overturning completely. Eric pressed her face against the window, watching as thick smoke billowed from the overturned car while the traffic officers swiftly rushed forward to render aid.
At that moment, the door swung open once more, two additional individuals were hastily ushered inside, the door locked again, and the vehicle roared to life. It was clear the situation had deteriorated; there was no intention to wait for the main group—each car would depart as it could.
The newcomers were both players. As the four exchanged glances, Taylor smiled warmly. "Players, right? So are we."
Jerry chuckled in agreement. "Indeed, it's better this way. I dread being stuck with clueless NPCs—we'd just become a liability if things went south. NPCs get spooked easily and cause trouble; look at that crash outside—that was caused by an NPC."
Dennis hesitated, mouth agape. "Is this really a game dungeon? You complete the mission and earn points to respawn?"
"Are you new here?" Eric asked.
"Not exactly," Jerry sighed helplessly. "He was out there hollering, asking where we were, if this was the underworld! Had no choice but to drag him along."
"Brother, you've got that right," Taylor applauded Jerry with a thumbs-up, recognizing his compassion.
"Hardly. I just acted on impulse. Dennis, you're lucky to have met a few veteran players. This is your beginner dungeon—keep your eyes wide open, watch carefully, and learn well! When you clear the dungeon, you'll get a completion broadcast. Your personal account, marketplace, and the game instructions will unlock. You can read through the game guide yourself then."
Dennis nodded eagerly. "Yeah, yeah, I got it, man."
Having reassured Dennis, Jerry resumed conversation with Taylor. "You guys are pretty quick—I thought Dennis and I were the fastest."
"Just luck," Taylor deflected, then inquired about Jerry's next plan.
"Saving my skin, of course," Jerry replied. "Who wants to get quarantined? I'll look for a chance to slip away." Glancing out the window, Jerry appeared to be assessing the suitability of their surroundings.
Taylor nodded in agreement, thinking similarly. Turning to Eric, he asked, "What about you, sister?"
Eric shared her thoughts candidly. "I want to see where they're taking us first. After all, there are no clues about the portal yet, and the path the NPCs are leading us on might be connected to it." She did not resist the idea of being guided into quarantine; perhaps the key to the mystery lay within.
Differences in opinion emerged, but Eric was unperturbed—everyone had the freedom to choose their own path.
Trailing behind them were a convoy of more than a dozen police and ambulance vehicles, the commotion growing louder with each passing moment.
After several tense minutes, the ambulances pulled up outside a hospital, its fa?ade adorned with a sign proclaiming "Xiaoyuedao Central Hospital."
As the doors slid open, Eric and the others were ushered inside. This time, their escort comprised armed paramilitary police clad in protective gear—a clear escalation in authority. Eric surmised that news from the mall must have spread further, prompting a heightened security assessment of the survivors' threat level.
Jerry cleared his throat softly and, upon rounding a corner, deftly slipped into a nearby flowerbed. Dennis, placing his utmost trust in Jerry, attempted to follow but, lacking experience, became entangled within the foliage.
"Someone's fleeing!"
"Pursue them immediately!"
Taylor had contemplated running, but upon confronting the armed paramilitary personnel, he abandoned the notion; one should never underestimate NPCs in this game—they could easily shoot you in the head, and no healing item could undo that damage!
Yet he had not anticipated Jerry's audacity in executing a planned escape.
Dennis was swiftly apprehended, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Taylor, what do we do? I don't want to be quarantined."
The paramilitary officers cast sharp, piercing glances at Taylor upon hearing this.
Internally, Taylor berated Dennis for his foolishness, thinking, *You hapless oaf!* Hastily, he explained, "We only met in the car. I had no knowledge of their escape plans." He pulled Eric closer. "My sister is here; we've both been cooperating fully, not trying to run at all!"
Eric sighed in resignation; Dennis clearly underestimated the gravity of dealing with NPCs, treating the whole ordeal like a mere game.
"Stop gawking around and come with me!"
They were escorted into the hospital's quarantine ward, where nurses drew their blood before sealing the doors, confining them within.
After meticulously searching the room to confirm the absence of surveillance cameras, Eric turned her attention to the windows.
They were on the thirteenth floor; the glass was reinforced with a welded iron grid outside.
At that moment, Taylor's regret surfaced. "There's no way out of this room! Look—the door's forged from alloy, rock solid—not even a dent. I wager there are armed guards patrolling outside as well!"
Dennis didn't understand anything and became even more uneasy: "Will we be killed here? That's how it's always portrayed in movies!"
"Why kill us for no reason? "Taylor was more worried about another point." I don't know if the zombies are under control. If they're not, the hospital will be very dangerous. We're in the center of danger"
Eric found the situation perplexing, yet he refused to concede it was a dead end.
"Let's wait and see; the narrative of this scenario is bound to progress. Besides, don't you find this room surprisingly secure? We cannot leave, but if the hospital falls, the zombies cannot breach this sanctuary either."
"...That's true!" Taylor realized, "Let's just hope they remember to bring us our meals."
"Lend me a hand; let's dismantle this bed and see if we can pry open a hole in the iron grate outside the window, creating a potential escape route," Eric proposed.
A sensible plan!
Having a task, Taylor and Dennis felt less agitated.
The chamber contained four hospital beds; together, they dismantled the one nearest the restroom and used the extracted iron bars to lever at the window.
Suddenly, the sharp crack of gunfire pierced the air.
"Look! Something's happening in the hospital!" Dennis exclaimed in alarm.