Chapter 14: The Silent Town

At 1:55 PM, the last player arrived, pushing a tricycle cart used for collecting scrap. Several faces showed a flicker of disappointment. They had thought that player wouldn't come, meaning one less competitor. However, seeing the opponent’s dilapidated, barely holding together scrap collection cart, they let go of that hope.

As the public screen’s timer hit 2:00 PM, the mission officially began. All players were randomly dispersed throughout the Silent Town. Darkness fell instantly, shrouding the entire town in a shadow.

The mission map spread out on the light screen beside an icon of Wishing Stars, with a total of 20 stars, each worth 10 points. Red dots would only appear on the map when other players were within ten meters; no other markers were shown.

Silent Town stood at the foot of a mountain, its area not large—walkable within an hour or so, provided there were no monsters. The map indicated a hospital, supermarket, and residential areas, but the scene before them exuded a desolate, apocalyptic atmosphere. The billboards were severely weathered by rain, stained with vast patches of yellow and black.

Once the five-second safe period elapsed, roars of monsters erupted from all directions. Besides the familiar “common infected,” there seemed to be other creatures. Feeling a sudden cold wind rush overhead, Yu Jiang quickly hugged her head and ducked behind a wall.

Above, a pair of enormous wings swept by, and a hard beak and talons instantly tore through a smaller bird’s body.

[Mutant Vulture: Large-sized, agile and fierce, but fortunately, their numbers in Silent Town are limited.]

Really?

Yu Jiang heard players screaming. Outside a convenience store, a man who failed to evade in time was nearly dragged into the sky, escaping with bloody claw marks on his head. Unfortunately, he called out, attracting a zombie inside the store, twice the size of the common infected.

And behind it, a zombie wearing a level-three helmet! One player struck with a metal rod; the zombie was unharmed, only the helmet dented, but the player was done for. Within a minute, he was surrounded and eliminated.

Player count: 29.

The mission chat channel was chaotic, with voice messages calling for help.

“Damn it! I got hit by a big zombie, lost 30 health points, and dislocated my arm!”

“Help! I don’t want to play anymore.”

“There’s a Wishing Star and three zombies in the two-story restaurant at three o’clock. Someone come help me out; I’ll give you the star.”

“For real? I’m on my way.”

...

Yu Jiang swiftly skewered two common zombies together with a wooden stick and then finished them off.

She hadn’t seen a Wishing Star yet. Killing a common zombie gave only 5 points—too slow, and fatigue would rise rapidly later on. At this pace, she could only reach 100 points, no chance of ranking high, let alone having time to scavenge items.

She needed a plan to lure a crowd of zombies. Given her disadvantages in agility and stamina, she had to be extremely cautious, avoiding any mistakes.

Yu Jiang entered a two-story wooden house, climbed from the slanted roof to the adjacent third-floor rooftop, and swept through the house. There was nothing useful except a pale yellow lace table mat and a folding ladder.

Elite monsters in Silent Town—the big bruisers, helmeted zombies, and the most formidable, mutant vultures dominating the skies—were very sensitive to sound.

She planned to exploit this and the terrain to herd a group of monsters into a dead end.

At that moment, an announcement flashed in the mission channel:

[Congratulations to player “PurpleDerriere**” for finding the Super Lucky Star, +100 points, mission completed and exited the mission.]

Everyone who saw this was dumbfounded.

“Damn! I’m going all out against these lucky bastards!”

“Getting 100 points in just over ten minutes and quitting? The rest is just profit.”

Yu Jiang sighed lightly. Luck was a form of strength. Exiting was the safest choice; such lucky players inevitably drew hatred, and the mission didn’t forbid stealing.

The rooftop beneath her feet was old and unstable, slippery with moss due to recent rain and heavy mist. She crouched to reduce resistance, using the roof as cover while observing the surroundings, then moved to a safer spot to descend.

In the baby’s room on the second floor was a glass jar on the windowsill, containing a faintly glowing folded paper star.

10 points!

The window was locked from inside, so she had to enter through the door. Inside was a level-three armored zombie. Wooden sticks couldn’t pierce it, and headshots didn’t reduce its health.

As soon as the door opened, it lunged, knocking Yu Jiang down the stairs with it.

[You seem to have twisted your ankle, health -10]

[Life -30]

[Warning! Player life remaining: 35]

Yu Jiang used the zombie as a cushion, then strangled its neck on the spot, switching to a claw hammer to break its level-three helmet and salvage one piece of composite plastic fiber and one piece of cloth.

She then stabbed its eye socket, immediately used a healing potion, raising her life to 45.

Luckily, only her ankle was twisted, no tendons or bones damaged, or she’d need bandages and splints.

Using a nearby torn curtain, Yu Jiang wiped the disgusting blood from her hands, went upstairs, and took the Wishing Star. Her current score was 40.

Killing a football helmet zombie granted 15 points.

Rubbing her ankle, she prepared to continue her plan but unexpectedly encountered other players as she stepped outside.

It was the player named Fate, accompanied by two male players.

“We’ve been camping in the next house for ages, drawing the zombies away from the door. And you just waltz in to take advantage,” Fate said with a righteous air. “I won’t give you a hard time since you’re a woman. You’ve had your zombie points; hand over the Wishing Star.”

Yu Jiang frowned irritably. “You’d better not live past the three-day punishment time.”

Otherwise, she’d have to kill them again if she saw them.

She had deliberately avoided using hallucinogenic powder when the zombies hit her for dozens of points earlier, reserving it for defense against players.

Just as she was about to act, a rusty tetanus arrow whistled through the air, landing in the grass just in front of Fate.

No one expected this sudden turn.

Yu Jiang looked up and saw the Golden Miner holding a crude bow beside a grass pile.

Right after, a glowing, singing toy spinning top was hurled toward them.

The loud noise quickly spread through the air.

The three male players stared blankly at the chaotic monsters around, then their angry gazes turned on the Golden Miner.

This damned player was a bush sniper!

“Stop standing there! Run!” the Golden Miner frantically signaled to Yu Jiang.

“I’m not helping you out of kindness. I just can’t stand it. I barely took down an elite monster, and they, counting on their numbers, came to steal the kill—and my arrows, I only had five!”

Yu Jiang saw the direction she was running and knew that ahead lay a dozen zombies. She quickly dragged her toward another path.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but monsters are everywhere here. Especially in the alley across—someone locked the iron gate.”

Yu Jiang didn’t mention she was the one who locked it. She returned the arrows she had picked up and pointed to a right fork.

“Keep going this way. Those houses haven’t been searched yet, and the monsters inside have been lured out.”

The Golden Miner paused, “What about you?”

Yu Jiang looked left, “I’m going that way.”

The Golden Miner nodded. Everyone was hunting Wishing Stars; splitting up was better. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

“And thanks for your help earlier.”

After parting, Yu Jiang took her knife and went after the three players from before.