A series of reports left Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu looking at each other in confusion. After the points system was activated, they noticed their personal control panels constantly vibrating.
Xiao Muyu observed her points being divided into two sections: one for her personal account and one for the team account. The team account had 20 points, while her personal account displayed a constant stream of red “+0.5” notifications, similar to a live broadcast’s comment stream. There were eight instances of +0.5 and two instances of +5.
Xiao Muyu furrowed her brows, puzzled by what this meant. She quickly checked Shen Qingqiu’s panel, which had many more +0.5s and a few +1s but no +5s. After a moment of thought, she understood and her gaze toward Shen Qingqiu changed.
“How many zombies have you killed?” she asked, exasperated.
Shen Qingqiu innocently shook her head, “I don’t know. I kill them as I see them. I haven’t kept count.”
The fire at Xinhe Building continued to blaze. Although zombies wouldn’t die from smoke inhalation, the intense flames could reduce them to charred corpses. Thus, the previously calm points began to sporadically increase again, with more +0.5s.
Xiao Muyu was stunned. Hundreds, if not thousands, of zombies in the building were likely burning to death, which meant… She looked at Shen Qingqiu, both annoyed and amused.
“Alright, now isn’t the time to discuss this. We need to meet up with Su Jin and the others,” Xiao Muyu said in a low voice. “Our cards are working again.”
Thanks to Su Jin and the others successfully activating the “One Big Happy Family” card, Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu could log in.
Lin Jian, as an NPC, couldn’t hear the system announcements or see the players’ control panels, so he was unaware of what Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu were discussing.
Xiao Muyu turned and waved at him, “We’ve located my friends and need to meet up with them. What are your plans?”
Lin Jian hesitated before replying, “I’ll stick with you for now. Once I understand the situation in G City, I’ll see if I can contact my family outside.”
“Alright, let’s go.” Xiao Muyu wasn’t planning to let Lin Jian go just yet, as she needed to confirm some things with him.
Shen Qingqiu had already messaged Su Jin, telling them to wait. The three of them moved stealthily to meet up.
At this point, it was likely that all players were heading toward this location, so multiple teams would soon converge. This scene was much larger than previous instances, making it unsurprising that five teams were participating simultaneously.
However, Xiao Muyu had a vague feeling that, according to the system’s usual behavior, the five teams wouldn’t coexist peacefully. They couldn’t have malicious intent but should remain cautious. She preferred not to encounter others.
The recent system broadcast had exposed their team, possibly drawing undue attention from other teams, so they needed to be extra careful.
Su Jin, Chen Kaijie, and Zuo Tiantian were hiding near a hotel. They were overjoyed to see Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu.
“Captain Xiao, Vice-captain, we finally found you,” they exclaimed. They had heard the system broadcast but couldn’t locate Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu.
To avoid attracting attention from other players, they had been hiding until they realized their cards were working again, allowing them to make contact.
Seeing the blazing fire, Su Jin asked in a low voice, “Vice-captain, did you set that building on fire?” Shen Qingqiu laughed, glanced at Xiao Muyu, and then responded to Su Jin with satisfaction, “I didn’t expect you to know me so well.”
Chen Kaijie and Zuo Tiantian were amazed. They had speculated whether Shen Qingqiu had set the fire to attract their attention but doubted it. However, it turned out to be true.
As they reveled in their reunion, they noticed Xiao Muyu had brought a doctor with her. They asked curiously, “Captain Xiao, who is this?”
“This is Dr. Lin Jian. He escaped from the People’s Hospital with me,” Xiao Muyu introduced him briefly.
Chen Kaijie and the others didn’t question why Xiao Muyu had brought him along. In their eyes, she must have had her reasons. After a brief greeting, they considered him part of the group.
“There are too many people here. Let’s find a safe place to discuss our next steps. In the apocalypse, surviving is crucial, which means avoiding zombies and stockpiling supplies,” Xiao Muyu said. The immediate priority was to secure enough resources for the next ten days.
As she finished speaking, Chen Kaijie, Su Jin, and Zuo Tiantian took out their backpacks. “We’ve got water, canned food, instant noodles, compressed biscuits, and snacks. We passed by a supermarket and took everything we could carry.”
Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu exchanged smiles. Shen Qingqiu gave Chen Kaijie a hearty slap on the shoulder, “Good job!”
Chen Kaijie beamed at the praise, “It was actually Tiantian who reminded us. We were so focused on finding you that we forgot the most important thing in the apocalypse is food and water. Right now, people might not have realized it yet, but once water and electricity are cut off, even the survivors will panic.”
“Exactly. The next crucial step is to stockpile supplies, which means finding a secure base.”
Xiao Muyu glanced at the group. She had woken up in the hospital and knew nothing about safe places to stay. Shen Qingqiu also shook her head, indicating she had no idea.
Zuo Tiantian spoke up, “I live at Yaxiang Waterside Pavilion.”
“Where?” Xiao Muyu seemed surprised and asked for confirmation.
“Yaxiang Waterside Pavilion.”
Before Xiao Muyu could respond, Lin Jian interjected, “No, that place has had unexplained cases. I suspect the virus might have originated there, making it very dangerous.”
Xiao Muyu nodded, “He’s right. I heard about it in the hospital news. We can’t go there.”
Lin Jian thought for a moment, “If you don’t mind, you can come to my place. I moved into a new apartment less than six months ago. The new community has a good security system and a low occupancy rate, so there should be fewer people. My family is away in M City, so no one’s home. But it’s a bit far, over ten kilometers from here.”
Xiao Muyu and the group had no better options, so they decided to head to Lin Jian’s home. Shen Qingqiu suggested driving since encountering zombies was inevitable. Driving would be faster, allow them to carry more supplies, and reduce the risk of zombie attacks.
“But where do we find a car? And we need keys,” Chen Kaijie pointed out. Modern cars couldn’t be hotwired like in the movies.
Shen Qingqiu calmly walked outside. The fire in the building hadn’t gone out yet. If the system aimed for fairness, the teams should be equally scattered. She had seen players at the banquet, and Xiao Muyu had encountered players at the hospital, so they were likely all here.
However, she hadn’t seen many people so far. Everyone must be lying low, avoiding each other for now.
She didn’t hesitate to step onto the street and found a car with a deceased driver, who had died in a car accident rather than a zombie attack. The keys were still on him. She moved the body, started the car, and brought it to the hotel entrance with a screeching halt.
“Get in, but it’s going to be cramped,” she said. They quickly piled in, with four people squeezing into the backseat. Fortunately, they weren’t overweight, and the car had enough space. They packed their supplies and shut the doors.
Just as they settled, Shen Qingqiu heard someone calling out to them from behind. Ignoring it, she floored the gas pedal, leaving only a trail of exhaust. The man watched the car disappear, his expression unreadable.
As they drove, Xiao Muyu and the others saw that G City had indeed collapsed, with zombies wandering everywhere. They even witnessed living people being chased down and devoured by zombies.
“It’s over. Everything’s over,” Lin Jian muttered, losing hope that the government or military would arrive in time to save them. Half a day had passed since the virus outbreak, and if help was coming, it should have arrived by now. A terrifying thought crossed his mind: could the entire country be overrun?
On the road, they came across another car, its driver now a zombie. Shen Qingqiu swiftly dispatched it with a Tang sword Chen Kaijie had drawn. They moved the body and switched cars, ignoring their revulsion.
“Let’s stop at a gas station,” someone suggested, knowing they needed fuel to keep driving. They found an empty station, with no zombies in sight. After ensuring it was safe, they started refueling.
The streets were eerily devoid of life. Survivors were likely hiding indoors. Yet Xiao Muyu felt uneasy. The lack of people and zombies seemed off.
A broken car window across the street caught her eye. Inside, a figure sat motionless, not yet a zombie.
Shen Qingqiu, being very in sync with her, had already noticed the situation and nodded. “I see it. I’ll go check.”
Seeing her face grow serious, Xiao Muyu grabbed her hand and said softly, “Let’s go together.”
She then turned to Su Jin and the others, saying, “Be on alert. There might be a situation.”
With that, the two walked across the street, while Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian clutched their cards tightly, scanning their surroundings warily.
Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu were less than a meter from the car. Inside lay a woman, her head slumped. There was a hole in her head and the car window, both completely empty.
Xiao Muyu’s hair stood on end. She looked around and noticed that not only this car, but a whole row of disordered cars had holes in them, either in the windshield or the passenger seat.
Xiao Muyu immediately made a gesture, causing Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian to glance at Chen Kaijie with anxiety.
Chen Kaijie’s hand trembled, but he casually hung up the fuel nozzle, opened the car door, and signaled Lin Jian to get in.
Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu turned and walked back toward the car. When they were less than three meters away, they suddenly sprinted toward it.
Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian simultaneously opened the rear and passenger doors. As they got in, Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu reached the car. At the same time, a shadow jumped from above the gas station, landing between the two cars with a speed and force that made their hearts race.
Shen Qingqiu pushed Xiao Muyu into the back seat, shut the door, and nimbly leapt into the driver’s seat from the passenger side.
She started the car with her left hand and closed the door with her right. The movements were smooth and impressive. If it weren’t for the urgent situation, Su Jin and the others would have cheered.
The shadow that jumped down was a slender woman, but no longer human.
Seeing everyone get into the car, it screamed shrilly, revealing sharp, terrifying teeth, and jumped onto Shen Qingqiu’s car.
The car shook heavily, and as it landed, a claw pierced through the car’s steel, aiming for Shen Qingqiu’s head. Fortunately, Shen Qingqiu reacted quickly, dodging just in time, while Xiao Muyu pressed a stopwatch.
The claw stopped just above Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder, almost touching her clothes.
Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian watched with wide eyes, their hearts nearly stopping, mouths agape in silent screams.
Xiao Muyu, pale and heart racing, saw Shen Qingqiu pull out a knife and slice along the car roof, severing the hand.
Zombie blood, already coagulated, didn’t spray, sparing them a gruesome scene. Xiao Muyu wrapped the hand in her coat and threw it out.
“Buckle up!” Xiao Muyu reminded Shen Qingqiu, who opened the car door.
Everything was frozen for ten seconds: the car, the people, and the zombie. Shen Qingqiu stabbed the zombie’s head with the knife but had to stop to control the car.
As she sat back down, time resumed. Shen Qingqiu floored the gas pedal, the car surged forward, swerving and sending the zombie flying.
Through the rearview mirror, Shen Qingqiu saw the zombie hit the ground and stop moving.
The three in the back, prepared but still jostled, collided and were dazed.
Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian’s screams erupted as time resumed, “Vice Captain!”
“I’m fine,” Shen Qingqiu reassured them, trembling with relief.
Realizing Xiao Muyu used a card, Su Jin clutched her chest, crying with relief, “Thank goodness the card worked!”
Xiao Muyu stayed silent, staring at Shen Qingqiu, who couldn’t see her expression but knew she was scared.
“Muyu reacted quickly. I’m fine,” Shen Qingqiu added, hoping to comfort her.
Though the immediate danger seemed over, who knew what was next. Shen Qingqiu drove swiftly away.
Chen Kaijie, decisively ahead, saw they were safe and didn’t slow down, the two cars racing away.
Xiao Muyu, finally relaxing, slumped in the back seat, eyes closed to calm her racing heart.
The system then announced: “Congratulations to Lin Shuang’s team for reuniting all members second, earning 15 points, deducting 5 for Xiao Muyu’s team.
Congratulations to Jiang Wei’s team for reuniting third, earning 10 points, deducting 5 for Xiao Muyu’s team. All teams reunited, follow the rules and avoid violations.”
Xiao Muyu’s team looked at each other in confusion. Had the system changed?
![The Way of the Empress [Interstellar]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-04-at-8.01.00-PM.png "The Way of the Empress [Interstellar]")
