[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the player for completing the special quest: Chaos Energy Crystal. Obtained Bronze Treasure Chest X10, Mithril Treasure Chest X4, Experience Points 100.]
Lin Luyao claimed the previous rewards once more and was instantly filled with satisfaction.
Lena had been assigned to the same transport truck as them, holding the bag of Chaos Energy Crystals tightly against her chest, though she herself was securely bound from head to toe.
Ahead of them, two other transport vehicles were driving along the established route.
In the team channel, the few of them had already briefly discussed their subsequent actions in just a few words.
"Sister Lin, we have two other companions who came into this game with us. Their character is trustworthy. Is there any way they can join you?"
Judging entirely by the abilities Lin Luyao had displayed so far, the bizarre assortment of items in her possession, and her golden nameplate that set her apart from everyone else, she practically formed a faction of her own that people would naturally flock to.
Lin Luyao glanced at the time.
Only forty minutes remained on the countdown for the main quest.
According to her original deduction based on the timeframes provided by the special quests, the zombie horde should erupt during the final half-hour.
Before that, players were meant to explore the map on their own, unlock special quests, and arm themselves.
With plenty of time to spare, it fit the profile of an early-stage novice instance quite well.
Lin Luyao: "Sure."
She had only boarded the transport truck in the first place to meet the conditions of the special quest, not because she genuinely wanted to leave the town.
From her perspective, since the people in the research zone had dragged their feet until now to finally drive away, it was virtually impossible for them to avoid the zombie horde.
Being left behind in silence by the security team wasn't necessarily a bad thing either.
And during the last half-hour of this instance, banding together with other players to resist the onslaught of the zombie horde wasn't a bad thing either.
To a certain extent, her thoughts once again aligned with Gu Xinghe and Chen Caidie.
Their original intention in trying to seize the transport truck wasn't really to escape, either.
With a transport truck, their movement speed would be vastly increased, and their margin for error would also improve.
If they could find a way to take the transport truck out of the instance, that would be even better.
But that idea leaned closer to a pipe dream.
Neither of them had spoken it aloud.
Just as the transport truck had driven a certain distance, the special quest indicated completion, and all three of them received generous quest rewards, the vehicle in front abruptly came to a halt.
Then came a deafening explosion.
Gu Xinghe, who was driving, watched in horror as the transport truck ahead of them blew up right where it stood, sending a wave of heat rolling outward.
Another vehicle suddenly flew into the air, crashing into a building at the roadside and kicking up flames and dense smoke.
Just as everyone was gripped by panic, a third massive explosion erupted directly on top of their own roof.
"Bzz, bzz, bzz..."
[System anomaly detected...]
[Critical item for special quest: Transport truck is inoperable.]
[Quest anomaly, quest anomaly, quest anomaly...]
[Special quest: Chaos Energy Crystal has been reset.]
[Quest requirement: Deliver the Chaos Energy Crystals to the Zombie King and gain the Zombie King's approval.]
[Time limit: 00:09:30]
Lin Luyao: "?"
Gu Xinghe: "??"
Chen Caidie: "???"
At that moment, the roof of the transport truck they were in was caved in entirely, exposing the gray, gloomy sky above.
A pungent fog of scorched stench and smoke rushed in.
The transport truck let out a deafening, rumbling groan.
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, directly beneath the hole in the center of the transport truck's roof, a sinister voice slowly sounded.
"Where is the chef?"
Everyone struggled to wave away the thick smoke drifting in front of them, forcing their eyes open to take a look.
[NPC: Zombie King, Potential Awakening]
Lin Luyao looked at the red nameplate standing out from the smoke, her mouth slightly agape.
Even though she didn't understand why the special quest had gone haywire and reset itself, nor why the Zombie King had suddenly appeared here searching for a chef instead of the Chaos Energy Crystals, the sense of crisis made her mind sharper than ever before.
After just a brief moment, Lin Luyao made up her mind. She violently snatched up the bag of Chaos Energy Crystals from Lena's arms beside her, and with a textbook sidearm throw, hurled the ill-fated bag of Chaos Energy Crystals straight toward the Zombie King.
Sensing the movement, the Zombie King instinctively made a counter-attack.
Yet the fist he had already thrown out stopped dead in its tracks the moment it perceived the boundless energy emanating from the projectile.
"Thwack!"
The smoke and dust gradually dispersed, and everyone watched in a daze as that heavy bag of stones struck the Zombie King squarely on the head without encountering any resistance, producing an excessively crisp, muffled thud.
"..."
The atmosphere fell terrifyingly silent for a moment.
Right within that stagnant ambiance, Lin Luyao took a deep breath, and before danger could strike, shouted at a pace faster than ever before.
"Zombie King! I am willing to proactively present this bag of Chaos Energy Crystals to you, and I only hope to gain your protection!"
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the player for completing the special quest: Chaos Energy Crystal. Obtained..., and the Zombie King's Vassal.]
[Congratulations to the player for leveling up to LV4. Obtained Attribute Points X3.]
Gu Xinghe: "..."
Chen Caidie: "..."
The amount of information was too overwhelming, and the visual impact was far too intense; it took them a moment to process everything.
A powerhouse truly lived up to the name—this kind of reaction time and flair for courting death was something they never could have imagined.
The veins at the temple of the Zombie King's forehead twitched.
He had already spotted the nameplate hovering above the head of the chief culprit who had dared to make a fool of him in public—it was precisely the [Chef] he had been rushing headlong to find!
For a fleeting second, the Zombie King felt as though he had been blasted back to life out of sheer anger.
Yet no matter how much he wanted to attack, because the delivery of the Chaos Energy Crystal onto his head had been successful, it had directly triggered the buff.
[The Zombie King's Vassal: As your loyal supporter, humans have used the Chaos Energy Crystals to earn your protection.]
[All zombie attacks will actively avoid the target individual.]
[Active duration: 23:59:00]
[Please note: When zombies enter a berserk state, they will be immune to the effects of this buff.]
The Zombie King stared fixedly at Lin Luyao, his body remaining completely motionless with his fist still thrust forward.
Amidst this bizarre atmosphere, a familiar and excited shout shattered the stagnation.
"Divine Chef Lin!"
One hour ago—
On the highway outside Longevity Town, a fissure abruptly materialized mid-air.
Rowdy noises echoed from within the rift.
"Ow! Ouch! You stepped on me!"
"Help! Pull your tongue back in! It's disgusting!"
"Aah! Don't shove, don't shove, I'm going to be crushed flat!"
That originally thin and narrow crack grew larger and larger amidst the jostling.
Countless invisible fractures rapidly spread outward.
Even the sky of the instance distorted bizarrely for a split second.
Because of this turn of events, countless unseen streams of information twisted and tangled together, only settling back into calm after a long while.
Unfortunately, the creatures inside the instance were all too busy to notice the anomaly within the realm.
"Yikes!"
As an NPC who had squeezed into the instance after passing review, A Fa finally wriggled his way out of the safety passage that was originally meant for him alone.
More than a dozen NPCs behind him were still struggling to push forward, and right before the countdown for the safety passage to close came to an end, they tumbled onto the ground one after another like dumplings dropped into a pot.
"Ah! Help, I'm being crushed flat!"
Another wave of flustered scrambling ensued.
Only then did the dozen-plus NPCs reform into a huddled circle, looking all the more disheveled and unkempt.
Behind them, the safety passage that should have completely sealed shut still retained a narrow slit.
Countless streams of anomalous data began spilling out frantically.
Regrettably, they still failed to win even a single glance from this group of fellows single-mindedly bent on getting inside the instance for food.