Chapter 12: Preparation for the Mission

“I have a map of S University here. Take it. I hope you can return safely and create even greater value for the Dawn Tower!”

Captain Jiexi said, handing a rolled-up map to Wang Zhi.

Wang Zhi took the map and said, “Thank you, Captain Jiexi. If we return safely, I’ll treat you to a meal!”

“Mm, I look forward to your safe return. Now go and prepare,” Captain Jiexi replied with a slight smile. Wang Zhi froze for a moment after hearing her response. This was the first time he had seen a change in her expression. To him, she had always been stoic, like someone with a “deadpan” expression.

Wang Zhi took the map and walked out the door. The map was truly a timely gift. With it, they could understand the distribution of buildings at the school, allowing them to plan their strategy from a broader perspective.

Soon, Wang Zhi entered the room and spread out the map. The others quickly gathered around.

“This is the map?” the Fatty asked.

“Yes, this is the map of S University. I just went to Captain Jiexi, and she gave it to us,” Wang Zhi replied.

“Oh? Why is she so generous? It’s not like other captains gave us anything. Why did it have to be that blonde woman? Hey! Could it be that she’s interested in my little brother?” Ying teased from the side.

“Cough, cough. What are you talking about, Sister Ying? After all, we’re the first team going out, so we can’t just go blindly and get wiped out, right? If we can return safely, it will be a contribution to the Dawn Tower,” Wang Zhi explained.

“Right, the problem now is how we’re going to get there. How do we get there?” Lao He said, frowning as he looked at the map of S University.

“Yeah! How do we get there? We don’t even know where we are right now, how can we go?” the Fatty slapped his thigh and said.

“Well… Let’s ask Lingling Yao. Lingling Yao, how do we get to the mission’s destination?”

Querying the mission…

Analyzing the mission…

Analysis successful. For the first mission, a helicopter can be used for direct travel. During the evacuation, feel free to improvise. The nearest base is located to the northeast of the destination. The exact location will be sent to you via latitude and longitude coordinates.

After Lingling Yao’s explanation, everyone immediately noted down the coordinates.

“Helicopter? I never thought my first helicopter ride would be in the apocalypse!” the Fatty said.

“A helicopter can avoid dangers on the way, but it’s extremely dangerous when we need to bring others back with us,” Lao He analyzed.

“Can we drive during the evacuation?” Wang Zhi suddenly spoke up.

“Drive? What do you mean? Do you have a car in the school?” Lao He asked, puzzled.

“Of course not. But I can hack into the car’s key system and start the engine. It’s a result I just figured out before the apocalypse,” Wang Zhi said.

“Driving is certainly an option, but as we saw on the conference hall’s screen, the roads are almost completely blocked. We might not be able to get through by car. We should just go on foot, and whether we can reach the base or not depends on luck,” Ying said, sharing her thoughts.

“No way! What’s the point of rescuing them if we do that? Are we just using them as a means to gain more survival points?” Lao He said anxiously.

“What’s wrong, old man? Do you think you’re the savior? You want to rescue anyone you please? If you want to risk your life, we won’t stop you,” Ying said dismissively.

Lao He gritted his teeth but didn’t say anything more. He knew that for now, self-preservation was the top priority. But as a soldier, not saving someone in danger would be the greatest dishonor.

“We’ll try driving first. If the road is blocked, we’ll get out and continue on foot. We’ll protect them as much as we can, but we must not risk our own lives. Alright, let’s all rest for now. Tomorrow, we’ll prepare our equipment for the mission.”

Wang Zhi finished speaking and stood up. After a quick wash in the bathroom, he lay down on the bed and quickly fell asleep.

---

September 30, 2025, Overcast

The heavy fog outside had dispersed. On the streets, inside buildings, and all around, zombies were wandering aimlessly. There was no more noise from people or the honking of cars. The entire world had fallen silent.

Wang Zhi got up from his bed, turned off the alarm set by Lingling Yao, and turned on the room’s lights. For Wang Zhi and the others, it was the start of a new day.

Wang Zhi planned to improve their breakfast today. They had almost forgotten what hot food tasted like after living off cookies and bread for so long.

Soon, Wang Zhi came back into the room with a bag of large meat buns.

“Here, take three each,” Wang Zhi said, distributing the buns.

“Mmm, this is good! When we were outside, I never realized how much I missed food like this!” the Fatty said, stuffing a bun into his mouth.

“There’s still a little more than a day left. After we finish eating, let’s see what we need to buy. We’ll spend all our survival points. If something unexpected happens, we don’t want to lose out,” Wang Zhi said.

“Captain’s right. The tragedy would be dying before we even had a chance to spend all the points,” the Fatty mumbled through his last bite of bun.

“By the way, Sister Ying, do you have the gun suppressor?” Wang Zhi asked.

“I’ve got it in my bag. Are you worried about the sound attracting zombies?” Ying replied.

“Yes. They probably don’t have good vision, relying on their sense of smell and hearing to track their prey. So, our firearms must be equipped with suppressors. If we fire without one, we’re done for,” Wang Zhi analyzed.

“I didn’t bring one,” Lao He said.

“Alright, we’ll buy one later.”

After breakfast, the four of them headed to the weapon hall. First, based on Lao He’s pistol model, they each got a suppressor, costing a total of 20 survival points. They each also got 500 rounds of ammunition, totaling 100 survival points.

They already had daggers, so they didn’t bother looking for them.

Next, they bought four sets of tactical hazmat suits, which included gas masks, protective night-vision goggles, and high-strength polymer fiber clothing. These suits had excellent durability and stability, offering strong protection. This cost a total of 400 survival points.

The hazmat suits needed to be custom-made, so the person in charge took their measurements and promised to deliver the suits to their room the next day.

Wang Zhi thought for a moment. They were still lacking some large-scale weapons to deal with a group of zombies. With just pistols and close combat, they wouldn’t stand a chance. So, he decided to buy three fragmentation grenades and three incendiary grenades, totaling 80 survival points.

“What else do you need to buy? Think about it,” Wang Zhi asked.

“Adrenaline,” Lao He replied.

“Adrenaline? What’s it for?” the Fatty asked.

“Adrenaline increases the heart’s contractility, excitability, and conduction speed, increasing cardiac output. To put it simply, after exhaustion, a shot of adrenaline can make you feel like you’re still alive and kicking,” Ying explained to the Fatty.

“Damn! Why don’t we buy more? Let’s get several!” the Fatty said.

Wang Zhi rolled his eyes at the Fatty. “Overdosing will cause dizziness, heart palpitations, and even shock.”

“Alright, fine. Then what else do we need?” the Fatty asked.

“Let’s buy some tools,” Ying suggested.

The four of them bought four vials of adrenaline, a grappling hook, 30 meters of steel rope, and four combat backpacks. This cost a total of 70 survival points.

“Uh… we still have 700 survival points left. Do we really not need anything else?” Wang Zhi looked at the remaining points and said.

He hadn’t expected they’d still have so many points left. It seemed that, when compared to food and weapons, food was still slightly more expensive.

“Since we still have this much, I’ll buy a dagger,” Ying said.

“A dagger? Don’t we all have one already?” Wang Zhi asked, confused.

“The ones we have are useless—just scrap metal. They dull after cutting a few people. This dagger is made from chromium steel. It’s not just sharp enough to cut through iron, but its 30 cm blade is perfect for mid-range combat,” Ying said.

“Let me see that knife,” Wang Zhi said.

When they arrived at the place Ying mentioned, Wang Zhi looked at the sample of the knife. It had a golden blade, double-edged, with a smooth exterior that made it look intimidating. The price next to it was… 100 survival points.