"Do you want to talk about it?"
Lin Luyao swiped the system panel away, her gaze full of accommodation.
As far as she was concerned, Kant saying this meant it was time to advance the plot. In games, wasn't it completely normal for NPCs to suddenly start talking to themselves and automatically fill in the story for the players?
Kant was choked up by Lin Luyao's casual attitude. For a moment, he didn't know whether he should speak or keep quiet. After stammering twice, he finally couldn't hold it back and blurted out.
"What this experimental zone is researching isn't longevity at all—it's eternal life."
"Furthermore, the longevity experimental zone isn't the only one studying this topic. These Chaos Energy Crystals are the research results from another eternal life experimental zone."
As he spoke, Kant sized up Lin Luyao's expression. Seeing that she had no particular reaction, and thinking about how long he had harbored these secrets—with the zombie horde already upon them and himself constantly searching for a channel to expose the experimental zone—he figured there was no harm in telling. With a "what the hell" attitude, he continued.
"As far as I know, the zombie virus is the result of human experiments privately conducted by the eternal life experimental zone that went wrong! They thought that injecting a new type of vaccine to make cells tend toward inertia was a sign of success, never expecting they would breed a bunch of monsters instead!"
By the end, Kant's temper had flared up, and he looked rather poised for a long heart-to-heart chat.
At the right moment, Lin Luyao raised a hand to cut off what he was about to say next. "Let's talk while we walk."
Listening to the plotline could happen anytime, but if time ran out and caused the task to fail, that would be troublesome.
As her voice trailed off, Lin Luyao made sure nothing was left behind, then grabbed Kant—who still hadn't recovered his wits—and bolted outside.
Outside the door, Gu Xinghe and Chen Caidie had been waiting for a long time.
The four of them moved while briefly explaining the route.
As usual, Gu Xinghe used her high-agility stealth ability to scout ahead. Along the way, they only accidentally bumped into two groups of people.
One group of three, and another of two.
Their combat values weren't high; before they even managed to make a sound, the three of them pinned them down with quick eyes and fast hands.
When they reached the back of the experimental zone and saw those transport trucks, Kant still found it hard to believe. At the same time, Lin Luyao received the prompt tone for completing the task.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the player for completing the special task: Chaos Energy Crystal. Obtained Bronze Chest x10, Mithril Chest x4, Experience Points 100.]
[Congratulations to the player for leveling up to LV3. Obtained Attribute Point x2. The team module has been unlocked.]
"Bang!"
Before a pleasantly surprised Lin Luyao could carefully check her panel, a sharp gunshot exploded right beside her ear.
She jolted in shock, almost instinctively rolling to the side and hiding behind a corridor pillar extending from the back door of the laboratory.
[Bzz bzz bzz...]
[System anomaly detected...]
[The key NPC for the special task has died.]
[Special task: Chaos Energy Crystal has been reset.]
[Task requirements (choose one): A. Deliver the Chaos Energy Crystal to the laboratory, and before all laboratory personnel evacuate, use the Chaos Energy Crystal in exchange for qualification to board the escape transport vehicle.]
[B. Hand over the Chaos Energy Crystal to the Zombie King and gain the Zombie King's approval.]
[Task time limit: 00:40:37]
Lin Luyao stared dumbfounded at the system messages, her first reaction being to check whether the rewards she had just obtained for completing the task were still there.
Seeing that the system-issued rewards had not been retracted, she looked in a daze toward Kant, who was collapsed not far away, a pool of warm blood quickly spreading across the bluestone bricks.
In just the blink of an eye, a living, breathing NPC had died like this.
Lin Luyao's gaze paused, then shifted to the opposite corridor pillar, where Gu Xinghe and Chen Caidie wore identical expressions of shock and vigilance.
At this moment, the confusion in Lin Luyao's heart finally erupted completely.
Along this entire journey, they hadn't seen a single ranged weapon; even the security personnel in the experimental zone only carried a baton for self-defense.
Influenced by the environment and background hints, they had all assumed there were no firearms in this game instance.
She never expected the game to directly hit them with an ultimate move.
Who fired the shot?
A player or an NPC?
Lin Luyao was inclined to believe it was the latter.
Still, as an NPC, shouldn't they properly play out the cutscene before taking action?
Opening fire directly without even delivering the opening dialogue—wasn't that playing too dirty?
And what was the deal with the special task being reset the exact moment it was completed?
Could this be the legendary bug-abusing?
"Move your bodies faster! The zombies are already in town! If you drag this out any longer, it'll be too late!"
Though Lin Luyao had plenty of misgivings in her heart, her movements were very nimble.
She had just taken a piece of house-special dried chicken jerky from her backpack and hadn't even put it in her mouth when a noisy commotion came from the laboratory back door they had used to enter.
Presumably, that group of busy researchers searching for the Chaos Energy Crystals had finally decided to evacuate.
Lin Luyao looked at the modified special task details, her eyes flashing. She took out the [Lucky Coin] she had traded for from the Thumb Person during her very first stall setup.
[Prop Name: Lucky Coin]
[Prop Grade: C]
[Prop Details: Are you agonizing over life's "yes or no" questions? With this coin, you no longer need to waste those useless brain cells paying for unknown fears. Just a gentle flip, and you'll know the best answer.]
[Number of uses: 4/5]
The coin was tossed into the air, and after flipping several times, it landed back in Lin Luyao's palm.
[Yes]
Lin Luyao's gaze hardened. She shoved a handful of house-special dried chicken jerky straight into her mouth, and then, under the shocked gazes of Gu Xinghe and Chen Caidie, charged toward the back door.
In just the blink of an eye, noisy gasps rang out from behind the door.
Gunshots sounded simultaneously, leaving a clearly visible bullet trajectory wherever Lin Luyao passed.
Gu Xinghe didn't have time to overthink. Taking advantage of the distraction Lin Luyao created by drawing their attention, she poked her head out and glanced.
That person stood by the vehicle door, unhesitatingly raising a gun and walking toward them, as if fully convinced that the firearm in their hand would be the overwhelming trump card.
"Ah! Help! What are you doing?!"
"Let's talk this out, violence cannot solve problems!"
When Lin Luyao took the NPC identified as Robert hostage and slowly stepped out of the back door, what she saw was a woman holding a handgun and approaching their location.
[NPC: Lena; Hostile unit]
Lin Luyao let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
As long as it was an NPC, they were easily constrained by character settings and background.
If the attacker had been another player who had received the special task, things really wouldn't have been easy to wrap up.
It seemed the effect of the [Lucky Coin] hadn't been bluffing.
When she used the [Lucky Coin] for the first time, Lin Luyao's wording had been very cautious.
[Can I take other researcher NPCs hostage as leverage to negotiate cooperation with the enemy and leave this place safely? Yes/No?]
[Yes]
Robert was half a head taller than Lin Luyao, perfectly concealing her figure behind him.
One side of Lin Luyao's cheek was still bulging, ready at a moment's notice to temporarily burst into a sprint and dodge attacks.
"Lady Lena! Help! They're definitely here for Kant. As Kant's inquisitor, you absolutely cannot let them succeed! Ah! Don't kill me!"
Robert's elevated pitch suddenly cracked when a kitchen knife sliced open a bloody gash on his neck.
Lena looked at the scene before her and smiled coldly, the muzzle of her gun still aimed at Lin Luyao and the others. She looked completely indifferent to Robert's life, though she ultimately stopped shooting.
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Luyao spoke up first.
"I am willing to hand over the Chaos Energy Crystals to you, as long as you let me and my companions board the truck and leave this place together."