Chapter 22: The Intern

"Clang!"

A metal basin fell from the table onto the floor.

The piercing crash jolted Fang Heng completely awake from his slumber.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I accidentally woke you up, I didn't mean to."

The girl looked to be in her early twenties, with round, somewhat youthful cheeks. She bowed her head repeatedly, apologizing to Fang Heng.

"Oh, it's fine."

Fang Heng gave a kind smile and climbed up from the lounge chair in the breakroom.

Fatigue from the game would be reflected twofold in reality.

After pulling an all-nighter, Fang Heng didn't even want to spend the time walking to the adjacent hotel to sleep after logging off; instead, he had simply moved a lounge chair into the Group 3 breakroom.

He had fallen straight into a deep sleep.

It had been a very comfortable rest.

Fang Heng stretched and glanced at the time.

It was already past 1:00 PM.

The girl felt very apologetic about waking him. She introduced herself, "Hello, I'm the new intern, Pei An'an."

"I'm Fang Heng. What a coincidence, I just started my internship too."

"I'm sorry, but could I trouble you to help me change the water? Thank you."

Pei An'an looked petite, and the water jugs seemed a bit difficult for her to handle.

"Sure, I'll do it."

As he spoke, Fang Heng walked over to help lift the water jug.

Hmm?

The moment he lifted the jug, Fang Heng's brow furrowed.

What brand of water was this? Why was it so light?

It couldn't be a low-quality product, could it?

Fang Heng easily lifted the jug and placed it on the water dispenser, then carefully inspected the brand label.

Strange.

It was just an ordinary five-gallon water jug.

Could it be that this body had been training all along?

Even more strangely, wasn't he supposed to be a gaming shut-in?

"Thank you so much!"

"No problem."

Fang Heng waved it off, deciding not to dwell on it.

"Where is everyone else? Why are they letting a girl carry water? Are they bullying you?"

"No, no, I saw everyone was busy and didn't want to bother them," Pei An'an said, sticking her tongue out. "Instead, I ended up waking you up. I'm so sorry."

"Hahaha, it's fine."

Fang Heng said his goodbyes and headed to the company cafeteria for lunch.

Wait.

Something else felt off!

As Fang Heng thought about it carefully, he felt a sense of strangeness again.

Calculating back, he had played in the game all day yesterday.

In reality, he hadn't eaten anything for over a day, having only had a few glasses of water.

Yet, he didn't feel much hunger at all.

How strange.

What was the reason for this?

Whatever!

Unable to figure it out, Fang Heng decided to stop worrying about it. After eating, he ran to his gaming pod to log in.

...

[Prompt: During your offline period, your zombie horde felled 823 logs. You have mastered the skill: Logging.]

[You have gained 29,127 experience points for the skill: Strength Training; 22,317 experience points for the skill: Strength Training; and 24,995 experience points for the skill: Constitution Training.]

[Prompt: Your skill 'Logging' has leveled up to LV: 6.]

[Prompt: Your skill 'Strength Training' has leveled up to LV: 6.]

[Prompt: Your skill 'Constitution Training' has leveled up to LV: 6.]

[Prompt: The levels of your skills 'Logging', 'Strength Training', and 'Constitution Training' cannot exceed your current character level. Please increase your character level as soon as possible.]

Appearing inside the small wooden cabin, Fang Heng's first priority was to open the game log to observe the 'AFK' results.

A great discovery!

It turned out that chopping trees could also increase the experience points for Strength and Constitution training!

Additionally, one log could produce between 1 to 7 planks.

The exact amount depended on luck and the level of the crafting skill.

Fang Heng did a quick estimation; he had collected enough logs now to construct a Level 1 Large Basic Shelter without any issues.

If he ran short, he could scavenge materials from the prison entrance later.

It was currently not even 2:00 PM, leaving several hours before sunset.

Fang Heng issued a command to the zombies to stop logging and head toward the prison.

The next step was to continue clearing the prison.

Speaking of which, the shelter would lose its system protection tonight.

Fang Heng judged that since it was the very early stage of the game, it wouldn't be a big deal—at most, a zombie or two might scratch at the door during the night.

As long as he prepared adequately in advance, it would be easy to handle.

In the morning, Fang Heng had already asked Jimmy to clear the wandering zombies around the camp.

His choice to start by chopping trees near the cabin was also intended to clear the surrounding line of sight, making it easier to spot wandering zombies.

The wandering zombies would also be easily attracted by the noise produced during logging, allowing them to be dealt with early.

This way, they would be safer at night.

Just as he was thinking, Liao Bufan pushed the door open.

He trudged into the room, panting heavily with a backpack full of logs.

"Fang Heng, you're finally back!"

Seeing Fang Heng, Liao Bufan pointed toward the room and began to complain.

"Boss, look, just look! I'm begging you, tell your zombies to stop working. I really can't take it anymore..."

Fang Heng turned to look in the direction Liao Bufan was pointing.

He realized then that one-third of the cabin's space had already been filled with logs.

"Boss, do you know? Working for you is truly exhausting."

With a determined expression, Liao Bufan emphasized, "I need a raise!"

"Once the new shelter is finished, I'll give you permanent free residency rights."

Great! His meal ticket had been renewed!

Overjoyed, Liao Bufan immediately agreed.

"Alright, it's a deal, Boss!"

Mounting his mountain bike, Fang Heng rushed back to the prison.

After more than ten hours, the zombies in the prison plaza had once again scattered into small groups.

The zombie density was much lower than yesterday.

A quick glance revealed no signs of mutated zombies among them.

With a wave of his hand, the zombies following behind him raised their wooden spears and swarmed into the guardhouse.

The zombies climbed through the windows of the guardhouse into the prison plaza and began their slaughter.

[Prompt: Your zombie clone killed a common zombie. You gained 2 Survival Points.]

[Prompt: Your zombie clone killed a common zombie. You gained 1 Survival Point.]

[Prompt: Your zombie clone...]

The game log began to scroll rapidly again.

Seeing that the number of zombies in the plaza had decreased significantly, Fang Heng grew bolder and slipped into the guardhouse through the smashed iron gate.

Closing the door, Fang Heng quickly took out planks to reinforce the guardhouse.

[Prompt: You have cleared the guardhouse and completed its reinforcement. You may attempt to convert the hut into a shelter.]

Fang Heng poked his head out of the window, cautiously observing the plaza.

He was now completely certain: there were no zombies in the prison plaza.

This made things easy.

He could now idle in peace.

Fang Heng took planks from his backpack and completely sealed the windows and doors of the guardhouse.

This way, even if the hut came under attack by zombies, it could hold out for an hour or so.

"Done."

Fang Heng muttered to himself, crafted a simple bed, and tossed it on the floor.

Log off! Time for a nap!

(End of Chapter)