Chapter 11: Accepting an Outdoor Mission

“Hey, Captain, did you actually see those people on the screen? Their faces were covered in blood, and they were eating people everywhere! Are you sure we really have to go out?” the chubby man said beside Wang Zhi.

Wang Zhi put down the dumbbells in his hands, glanced at the chubby man, and said, “Not going out? Do you want to starve to death?”

“But… but I’m scared! I’ve never been in a fight in my whole life, let alone killed someone.” The chubby man looked terrified.

“They’re no longer human!” Old He interjected from the side.

The chubby man sat on the ground with a miserable expression and said, “I know, I’ve watched plenty of zombie movies, but I never imagined it would actually happen!”

“Ling Feihong, if you’re a man, pull yourself together. Just consider this life a bonus. Do you really want to live like a coward underground forever? Do you think you can just get by here indefinitely? Do you really believe the resources here are limitless? Stop being foolish! We have four days left—train hard. Improving yourself is the key to survival. Go learn some skills from Brother He,” Wang Zhi suddenly spoke more forcefully.

After saying this, Wang Zhi picked up the dumbbells again and resumed his training. He wasn’t sure why he had snapped at the chubby man. Maybe the stress of the apocalypse was getting to him, or maybe he just couldn’t stand the cowardice. He didn’t dare to think about what the outside world was like now, nor did he want to imagine whether he would die out there or if his teammates would perish in front of him. The only way to suppress these thoughts was to focus on physical exertion.

As Wang Zhi trained, Ying slowly walked over and asked, “How’s your shooting practice going lately?”

“Not bad. I have an 80% accuracy rate for stationary headshots, but only 20% for moving targets,” Wang Zhi scratched his head and replied.

“Hmph, still far from good enough. Come, I’ll teach you how to use a dagger instead. A gun in your hands is just a waste of bullets.” Ying bluntly criticized.

Then, Ying handed Wang Zhi a dagger and taught him personally. Mastering the basics was simple—just having strength was enough. After all, zombies wouldn’t engage in hand-to-hand combat; they only charged mindlessly.

During training, the chubby man followed Old He for lessons, while Wang Zhi trained with Ying. After spending more time with her, Wang Zhi figured out her temperament—pleasing her meant she wouldn’t trouble you, but going against her would unleash her brutality. No matter if she was happy or angry, she always had a smile on her face, a typical “smiling tiger.” Understanding her true emotions required prolonged interaction and keen observation.

For instance, while Ying was teaching Wang Zhi, she wore a tight-fitting top that perfectly showcased her figure. Naturally, Wang Zhi couldn’t help but steal a few glances. Ying quickly noticed and teased, “If you want to look, just look openly. What’s the point of sneaking glances? That won’t be satisfying.”

Wang Zhi immediately suppressed his thoughts, straightened his head, and silently recited, “Do not be disrespectful.” He was sure that if he fell for her words, he’d get beaten up today.

“Thank you, Sister Ying,” Wang Zhi suddenly said while looking at Ying, who was smiling beside him.

“Thank me for what?” Ying’s beautiful eyes fixed on Wang Zhi.

“Nothing… just happy to have met you all.”

“Oh? How happy are you?” Ying asked with amusement.

“…”

Wang Zhi was momentarily speechless.

“Alright, save your happiness for when you’re still alive after this. I won’t be protecting you,” Ying said before turning away.

Yes! Zombies were rampant outside, and they were about to leave for their mission assigned by the Lich Tower. Their only goal now was to return alive!

After training, everyone went back to their rooms. Wang Zhi opened the Lingling Yao system and saw an updated mission list:

Mission 1: Train for a total of 8 hours to earn 10 Survival Points.

Mission 2: Outdoor mission. Reward: Random Survival Points (Remaining time to accept: 28 days)

Since Wang Zhi hadn’t signed the Ecological Industry Work Contract, that mission was no longer listed.

“Everyone, I’m going to accept the mission,” Wang Zhi announced.

Seeing that no one objected, Wang Zhi used Lingling Yao to accept the outdoor mission.

“Lingling Yao, accept the outdoor mission.”

“Assigning mission…”

“Mission accepted! Congratulations! Your team is the first to accept an outdoor mission from Lich Tower. Lich Tower is awarding your team 500 Survival Points as a first-time bonus. Your mission: Rescue survivors. Location: S City, S University. Objective: Rescue as many survivors as possible. Mission reward: 100 Survival Points per survivor brought back to Lich Tower. Complete the mission within 48 hours.”

“Your team has accumulated a total of 1,400 Survival Points and qualifies for Level 2 Team promotion. Please proceed to the first-floor office for processing.”

Lingling Yao provided a detailed breakdown of the mission.

Lich Tower actually awarded them 500 points just for accepting the mission? Wang Zhi was pleasantly surprised. Initially, he had planned to go out and fight before exhausting their supplies, but now they had been given 500 free points.

“Wow! 500 points! That’s enough for 400 hours of training!” the chubby man cheered, seemingly forgetting that they were about to face blood-covered monsters.

“This mission won’t be easy,” Old He suddenly spoke up.

“Why, Brother He?” the chubby man asked.

“Yeah, the mission is in a university. Universities have dense populations, which is not in our favor,” Wang Zhi analyzed.

The chubby man thought for a moment and immediately looked dispirited again.

“Notification: Guard Captain Jie Xi has invited the leader of Sunset Afterglow Team to the first-floor guard department.” Just as everyone was contemplating, Lingling Yao announced the message.

Huh? Her? Why is the Guard Captain looking for me? Wang Zhi wondered.

“I’ll go check it out. You all rest for now,” Wang Zhi said before heading out.

He soon arrived at the guard department’s entrance.

“Hello, I’m the leader of Sunset Afterglow. Your captain invited me,” Wang Zhi said to the two guards at the door.

One of them stepped forward to verify Wang Zhi’s ID card. After confirming his identity, he radioed Jie Xi for further confirmation before letting him in.

“Captain Jie Xi is in her office,” the guard informed him.

Her office was the innermost room. Wang Zhi knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Wang Zhi entered and saw that Jie Xi was alone inside, still in her standard armor, staring intently at her computer screen.

“Sit,” Jie Xi said coldly.

Hearing this, Wang Zhi cautiously sat down across from her.

“Uh… we meet again, Captain Jie Xi,” he greeted carefully. It was best to be cautious around this indifferent woman.

“You’re the first team to accept an outdoor mission. I must say, you have guts. I admire that. But I need to tell you about the current situation outside. Most of the human population has already been infected and turned into zombies. According to reports, their weakness is the head—other details are unclear.”