Chapter 07: The Haunted Building (Part Three)

After being completely ransacked, that group of thugs surprisingly let him go. Lei Zhen hurriedly took the opportunity to escape while they were still unaware of the importance of silencing him. Since the route chosen for transporting the fruit was one previously selected by experienced drivers, he was unfamiliar with the surroundings after losing his phone and car. He could only rely on his instincts to run forward, and by nightfall, he discovered a large building ahead.

Lei Zhen accepted the fact that he had entered a strange place

Liang Zuo gritted his teeth and said, "I can still hold on."

However, the alarm suddenly went off, leaving him no time to think further

Everyone who enters the building has a coin. Just put it in. Hurry up, there are only twenty seconds before the next wave of zombies arrives

Liang Zuo shook hands with the rough hand of the other party: "Liang Zuo, the left of left and right... what on earth is going on?"

He hurriedly threw himself into it

Upon hearing his words, Liang Zuo hurriedly said: "You say you saw this building in the south... but I entered from an airport in the west..."

He sat up and began to survey the place where he found himself

There is only one room available in the house, which is the living room. Inside, there is a vending machine. Lei Zhen noticed a coin slot and patted his body—he suddenly remembered that he was completely broke. However, miraculously, he managed to pull out a coin, which was marked with the number 1, and there were no other distinguishing features. He decided to try it and inserted the coin, after which five options appeared below.

After a moment of hesitation, Liang Zuo ultimately chose the shield

Lei Zhen shook his head: "So we must be well prepared... It's just that the zombies will sense it before they come. That is a kind of intuition, I suppose"

With a single command, he shifted from attacking to blocking. The two slowly walked to the previous bedroom, and three zombies immediately rushed in.

When he woke up, he found that several young people had already joined him in the car

Liang Zuo asked: "Is the time of the zombie attacks fixed every day?"

Is it possible? Has Poseidon gone berserk?

There is nothing left, not even a note. Lei Zhen put away the black knife: "A few days ago, I defeated that puppet, in the very room where you were lying. Then that room lit up and became usable. So I guess each room has a challenge, and you have to complete the challenge to be able to enter."

Liang Zuo was about to ask, but the other party interrupted him, saying: "There is no time, quickly choose your starting equipment. Over there at the vending machine on the right, insert your coin and select from the bottom row, it is best to choose a shield, I already have a knife. Hurry up!"

Liang Zuo gritted his teeth, dragging his painfully injured arm, and said: "So you have been resisting the zombies inside for ten days. I have observed that your strength and reaction have far exceeded that of an ordinary person. Just now, I could barely hold on while using my shield to fend them off. Yet you can continuously repel and kill them... Is there any hint left in there?"

This person is both timid and useless. When Lei Zhen asked him to exchange equipment to assist in fending off the zombies, he merely cowered in the corner, doing nothing, and just held his head.

As soon as the result was pushed open, a puppet sprang out from within, beating him until he was sore all over, completely unable to fight back

Ten days

This time he wondered if he could buy something else, so he inserted a coin and asked, "Do you have any cigarettes"

IV. Vending machines are a great invention, capable of providing a variety of useful items

He slashed at the zombie's body with a black knife

He hurriedly grabbed the shield and walked to the door

Now, the two zombies have been attracted over here

He subconsciously glanced at the doorway, and that large door was tightly closed again, as if it had never been opened at all.

"Rookie, how much longer are you going to hide in there? The zombies are coming soon, hurry up and come out"

After waking up, he lay in a room

Looking at the two rigid corpses on the ground, Lei Zhen began to feel a sense of fear.

What should I do to be able to go out

He had just stepped out, and when he turned around, the elevator had already disappeared, leaving him standing at the door. The main door was tightly closed

The texture is similar to that of an ordinary coin, with the Arabic numeral 1 inscribed on it

A coin unexpectedly appeared in my hand

After a sound resembling a fire alarm rang out

Later, he was almost taken down along with the zombie, leaving him with just a breath of life. The newcomer was the first person he had seen being killed by a zombie; the zombie had absorbed him into its body, becoming extremely powerful for a time. Lei Zhen, with one of his arms broken, managed to sever its head—luckily, he had caught it while it was in the process of absorbing that person. Afterward, Lei Zhen did not find the body of the newcomer, as if it had already become a part of the zombie.

Is it true

Only the bottom row of lights is illuminated

The swordsman turned defense into offense, delivering another strike to the chest of the second zombie, causing it to stagger backward. Taking advantage of the moment, Liang Zuo pressed it down with his shield. Fortunately, one of its arms had already been severed, making it not too difficult for Liang Zuo to evade the other arm.

Liang Zuo tried to follow suit, and a black round shield truly appeared in his hand, possessing a texture similar to rubber and approximately the size of a frying pan lid

Liang Zuo looked at the person, who had already stood up and began to stretch his legs, touch his toes, and move his limbs

Lei Zhen lit a cigarette and handed it to Liang Zuo

Liang Zuo searched all over his body but could not find it. In the end, he could not help but think fiercely to himself, where is the coin, where is it.

In an instant, I felt foolish again

Liang Zuo seemed to hear the laughter of the other party

Every day, the zombies continuously grow stronger, while human strength and speed also increase due to the ongoing battles

Can you hold on?

Brother Lei, let us start to open the next room tomorrow

At this moment, Lei Zhen began to doubt whether he was dreaming

It seems that it is still not... It is estimated that a more perfect kill is necessary

Moreover, he later learned that these twelve cigarettes would automatically replenish each day, meaning the daily limit for cigarettes was twelve.

Hearing the voice of the other party, Liang Zuo understood intuitively, lowering his center of gravity and positioning his shield diagonally against the oncoming zombie.

Lei Zhen is engaged in the fruit business in a certain city in the south. Due to the sudden unavailability of the hired driver for unknown reasons, and with the client demanding delivery at a specified time to avoid penalties, no one else was willing to undertake the long-distance delivery. Consequently, Lei Zhen had no choice but to take matters into his own hands. Fortunately, he holds a driver's license that allows him to operate a truck. However, as he is not from this industry, after driving for several hours, he began to feel very tired, so he decided to stop and rest on the road

It was a silver cigarette case, containing exactly twelve cigarettes without any logos. The most remarkable thing was that when the cigarette was placed between the lips and inhaled, it would ignite spontaneously. Lei Zhen had never smoked a cigarette with such a pure and refreshing taste; all his previous fatigue and hunger vanished in an instant. For a man, a cigarette is akin to lipstick for a woman; smoking one seems to simplify many problems.

I never expected to be at the mercy of this group of young rascals

Then you stay by my side, step back

Lei Zhen was both tired and hungry, and he could not think too much anymore; he needed to seek help. After entering the building, he discovered that there were no stairs, only an elevator. However, there were no floor buttons in the elevator, not even a button to open the doors. After anxiously waiting in the elevator for half an hour, the doors opened, revealing no corridor, but directly connecting to this room.

Lei Zhen inquired with curiosity

His voice was both urgent and stern. Liang Zuo ran straight to a vending machine in the corner of the living room, where the glass window that should have displayed beverages had turned into a series of simple names.

An arm flew over the head

He heard a crisp rustling sound, as if a knife had sliced through hundreds of layers of paper, producing a silky sound.

As if anticipating what would happen on his side, the man said: "Just recite it and it will appear, hurry over. You hold the shield in front."

The four zombies that appeared nearly cost Lei Zhen his life

Squat down, at an angle

Liang Zuo walked outside and saw a man sitting cross-legged on the ground, with his back to him and facing the main door. He was wearing a tank top and work pants, revealing his strong shoulder muscles

Liang Zuo forced his eyes wide open

Liang Zuo stood up and said earnestly: "It seems we will be roommates for a while, Brother Lei, I hope you will take good care of me."

For instance, the sofa and table in the living room seem as if they are fixed in place, unable to be moved, and cannot be harmed even by the knife exchanged in hand. The front door remains perpetually closed.

However, appearing in a wasteland seems to present numerous issues.

Do not rush, I will tell you slowly. Before that, let us clean up and see if there are any spoils.

He wants to go out, but he does not understand this place and therefore is not prepared to act rashly. The things in the room far exceed his expectations.

The vending machine made a clattering sound, and then ejected a thin sticker from the side exit

The swordsman sat down on the spot: "Ha, not bad, this time the roommate is not a good-for-nothing. Let me introduce myself, my name is Lei Zhen, with 'Zhen' meaning to spread wings."

The penetrating wound on the back, the severe hemorrhage in the thigh, and the lacerations and abrasions on the fist caused by impact have all disappeared

He has grasped a certain pattern

Lei Zhen believed he was going to die, but to his surprise, he was completely restored to health the next day

In other words, there is not just one building; they continuously appear in different cities. Liang Zuo analyzed: "Their goal is to attract people in and then have them complete certain tasks that are required. Among these is defeating the zombies. Lei Ge, how long have you been inside?"

However, cigarettes have indeed emerged

Liang Zuo suddenly sat up and discovered that all the injuries on his body had completely disappeared

It is not.

Coin ... ... I don't have any coins, do I?

The door that was previously closed suddenly disappeared

Liang Zuo only felt a forceful impact against his shield, nearly causing him to fall. Gritting his teeth, he managed to control the shield and barely lifted his head to see a grayish-white arm coming straight towards his eyes. Liang Zuo clenched his teeth, shut his eyes tightly, and resolutely remained still.

Instinctively, Lei Zhen felt danger at the door, so he hid behind the vending machine in the living room. Sure enough, a few seconds later, he heard footsteps. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he discovered two figures entirely gray and white. They were wearing human clothing, yet it was immediately apparent that they were not human at all. They emitted a foul odor reminiscent of rotting fruit, causing Lei Zhen to involuntarily sneeze

However, wielding the sword is also extremely exhausting for him, and his breathing has become very labored

What exactly is going on

Head, move aside

On the third day, a newcomer arrived

Half an hour later, the corpse seemed to have melted into the floor, leaving behind a coin inscribed with a single character

He casually pressed a button and obtained a black knife that could appear in his hand at any moment and also disappear at will, which left him greatly astonished

Lei Zhen noticed that there were four more rooms in the house, so he attempted to enter one of them

Where exactly have I ended up

After listening to Liang Zuo's account, Lei Zhen also furrowed his brows

Is everything just a dream

Strangely, the position where the door should be is actually devoid of a door, only a square opening remains, dark and obscured, rendering anything inside invisible

The other party laughed and said: "We are all in the same boat now; it's good that it's you, rather than another useless person making things harder for me! Don't worry, I should be able to handle it for the next couple of days. It seems that there is hope for going back now!"

Alright. Now let me tell you some things I know. But it has to start from when I arrived at this building, because I also do not know what this building really is...

Holding a coin, Lei Zhen once again attempted to insert it into the vending machine

After dissecting each corpse, he felt somewhat disappointed

Liang Zuo shook his head and said he would not smoke

Liang Zuo sighed: "I am afraid that we do not have much time left to prepare... The reason for leaving so much time should be to encourage us to break through these rooms, and breaking through the rooms will surely yield rewards!"

The other party spoke casually

A building with over thirty stories, with lights still on inside

He relied on a surge of fierce courage to chop off one of its legs, and then, through grappling, he severed the head of the other. This fight had a certain element of luck; had he not fortuitously struck the opponent's knee with the first blow, he would not have been able to take down the first one. Under the assault of both, he would surely have been injured, with dire consequences.

1. Defending against zombies is a daily routine; as long as one survives until the next day, they will recover. It is akin to cigarettes, which refresh one's state. This is based on the first occurrence during the two cycles of day and night.

Liang Zuo held it in his hand, and it suddenly disappeared

Do not allow the zombies to get too close, as they will quickly drain you, essentially consuming you, while simultaneously enhancing their own strength

I tried to knock on the door, but there was no response, and it could not be opened

"Listen to me, follow my commands. Lower your center of gravity, grip the shield tightly, and don't worry about anything else. Try to avoid letting the zombies touch your body; I will help you deal with the zombies that come close to you. This size cannot block them, but it can create a narrow space. I will be right beside you, and I will take care of the attacks. Remember to keep the shield not perpendicular to the ground, but slightly angled downwards; this will help to absorb some of the force. Make them lean forward... They are coming!" This size cannot block them, but it can create a narrow space. I will be right beside you, and I will take care of the attacks. Remember to keep the shield not perpendicular to the ground, but slightly angled downwards; this will help to absorb some of the force. Make them lean forward... They are coming!"

There are five options

Lei Zhen laughed heartily: "With ambition, my great sword is already eager and restless!"

The man beside me wielding a knife was very meticulous with each strike, either severing the arms of the zombies or aiming for their necks

Liang Zuo only felt a chill breeze passing by his cheek. The last zombie's head was split in half

When he finally decapitated two zombies, he gasped, "Step back, I will cover you, go inside. I will handle the rest."

The zombies differ from those depicted in movies; they are a highly agile species. Their heads are quite similar to those of humans, but their faces are expressionless, lacking any bared teeth, resembling a group of grayish-white automatons that only know how to attack. There are a total of five of them, each possessing astonishing strength, leaving Liang Zuo in great distress. He faintly feels that his arm has already dislocated, yet he is still able to endure solely relying on his physical strength and willpower

The first one was indeed deceived; its center of gravity unstable, it had its head severed by the swordsman, falling to the ground

The names are also very simple: knife, sword, spear, shield, bow

The next morning, the alarm sounded again, signaling the attack of two zombies. This time, Lei Zhen was well-prepared. Although he was over forty, he had maintained a regular exercise routine, keeping his reflexes and strength intact. In a series of guerrilla tactics, he utilized the terrain of the house to take down the two intruders. Unfortunately, this time no coins appeared. He speculated that this was somewhat similar to certain games, where defeating monsters yields equipment and such. There was a probability issue involved. He speculated that this was somewhat similar to certain games, where defeating monsters yields equipment and such. There was a probability issue involved.

It appears to be similar to an ordinary hotel room, featuring a bed and a single armchair, with what seems to be a single piece of floor tile; however, everything is white, which can be somewhat tiring to the eyes. The entire room is approximately 13 to 14 square meters, relatively simple, lacking a bathroom, and can only accommodate the most basic functions of sleeping and resting

An impatient voice came from outside