Chapter 19: Game Mercenary

Chen Gui is a registered game mercenary in the Federation.

In the game, he earns rewards by accepting missions.

In the mercenary community, he has a resounding nickname: Prisoner Snake.

After entering a new game "server," he immediately discovered a large-scale system shelter and used a survival radio to gather a group of nearby rogue players with combat-type talents.

Prisoner Snake successfully united these people into a small team and became their leader.

This team possessed immense combat power in its early stages. He felt this was a godsend; if things went well, he might even have the chance to become a local overlord within the game.

In front of the bonfire inside the shelter, Prisoner Snake and his subordinates were celebrating today's harvest.

"Hahaha, Ah Er, great job! You found that bitch's nest. I'll give you credit for this one!"

Lin Ah Er patted the hound at his feet and smiled proudly, "No prey can escape Lei's nose."

"Hehe, Brother Snake, a few of us scouted it out. There's a little girl and a skinny old man there. Neither of them has much combat ability. We can definitely take them down tomorrow."

"Mm, let's eat our fill tonight. As soon as dawn breaks tomorrow, we'll go there to ambush them. No matter who comes out of there, we kill them on sight."

Prisoner Snake's face was filled with ruthlessness.

He was no saint. As a mercenary, killing people in the game was a daily occurrence; he carried no psychological burden.

"Just kill them all and be done with it. Loot their supplies."

"Giggle, giggle."

A woman who looked quite charming sat on Prisoner Snake's lap, giggling.

"Brother Snake, don't always be about killing and fighting. Leave a few alive to ask them exactly how they found so much food in the game. That way, we won't have to live in constant anxiety in the future."

Prisoner Snake's eyes lit up, and he gave Jona's smooth leg a squeeze. "Good, good, good. You're the smart one. I'll listen to you. Tell me, how should I reward you tonight?"

"Oh, Brother Snake, you're not being very tender with me..."

As they were speaking, Brother Snake suddenly frowned.

"What's that sound?"

"Shh."

Prisoner Snake became alert and signaled for all the players to remain silent.

*Thud!*

Another sound.

It wasn't very loud, but it wasn't light either.

Did it sound like an impact?

*Thud!*

The sound was coming from outside the shelter.

*Thud!!*

Following the sound, everyone's gaze instinctively shifted toward the wooden wall behind Prisoner Snake.

It seemed like someone was pounding on the walls of the wooden cabin from the outside?!

*Thud! Thud!*

The frequency of the knocking grew higher and higher.

The sound began to echo from all directions within the shelter.

In an instant, the players inside the shelter broke into a cold sweat.

What was going on?

Why was there such a strange sound?

Could the zombies have broken in?

No, that wasn't right!

The game's 72-hour protection period hadn't expired yet; zombies would not actively attack shelters during this time!

Moreover, judging by how loud the noise was, there must be a significant number of zombies attacking from the outside!

Could it be a player invasion?!

Even more impossible!

At night, zombies enter a "berserk" state, and all their attributes are enhanced.

Additionally, players' visibility becomes extremely short at night; early-game players simply cannot operate in the dark!

*Thud! Thud! Thud!!*

The hammering became denser and louder, as if a circle of enemies had surrounded the small wooden cabin.

It was terrifying! What on earth was outside?

[Prompt: Your shelter is under attack.]

[Prompt: The safety level of your shelter is decreasing.]

[Prompt: Please repair your shelter and protect it from attack.]

[Prompt: Your shelter's current safety level is 12. As the safety level decreases, the maximum number of players the shelter can accommodate will gradually decrease.]

The expressions of the crowd shifted once again.

They didn't know what was outside, but if this continued, they feared the shelter would not hold!

"Calm down! What are you all afraid of?"

Prisoner Snake forced himself to remain composed. He jerked his chin toward a subordinate. "Wang Shao, go out and check!"

Wang Shao was also a mercenary—ruthless and a man of few words.

He nodded and gripped the baseball bat in his hand.

Under the watchful eyes of the group, Wang Shao walked slowly toward the wooden door and reached out his hand to push it open.

*Thud!*

Before Wang Shao could mentally prepare himself to open the door, the wooden door suddenly emitted a loud *thud* of impact.

Startled by the sudden noise, Wang Shao took a half-step back.

"Hmph! Playing tricks!"

Enraged, Wang Shao violently shoved the door open.

An ugly-looking zombie was blocking the doorway, holding a small stone hammer in its hand.

"Ah!!!"

Jona's face turned pale with terror, and she let out a piercing scream.

"It's a zombie!! Are you crazy?! Wang Shao, close the door, quick!!"

"Get lost!"

Veins bulged on Wang Shao's forehead. He let out a roar, swung his baseball bat hard against the zombie's head, and then kicked the zombie back several steps.

Taking advantage of the opening, Wang Shao quickly poked his head out to scan the area outside.

With that one glance, Wang Shao felt his scalp go numb!

It was too dark to see clearly at night, but in that split second, he saw at least five or six zombies swinging hammers against the walls of the shelter.

Wang Shao scrambled back and slammed the wooden door shut.

He gasped for air, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"What's the situation outside?"

"What's happening? Speak up!"

Wang Shao took a deep breath and said, "There are zombies smashing the walls outside. At least a dozen of them."

Hearing this, everyone's faces turned ashen.

At least seven or eight? How could they fight that?

For a moment, the *thud, thud, thud* of the hammering sounded like a death knell, echoing throughout the entire shelter.

"What do we do? What should we do..." Jona was terrified. In a panic, she grabbed onto Prisoner Snake's arm and wouldn't let go, pleading, "Brother Snake, think of something! I don't want to die... I don't want to die!"

"Shut up! You damn woman, what's wrong with you!"

Prisoner Snake was in an extremely foul mood and slapped Jona across the face.

He didn't have a damn clue what to do!

"Fight them!"

Prisoner Snake's eyes turned red with rage.

If this continued and the shelter was destroyed, wouldn't they all die anyway?!

If they fought, they might at least have a fifty-percent chance of survival.

"Let's go! It's just a few zombies at night! With so many of us, why should we fear a few zombies!" Prisoner Snake pulled a steel rod from his backpack and led the way toward the door with heavy strides.

*Bang!*

Prisoner Snake kicked the door open and swung his rod hard at the head of the zombie in the doorway.

The zombie took a heavy blow and staggered back several steps.

...

Inside the small wooden cabin, neither Liao Bufan nor Liu Lin had logged off.

Although Fang Heng had been urging them to log off and rest, how could they possibly sleep soundly under these circumstances?

After all, the way Fang Heng sat staring blankly in front of the bonfire was unsettling...

Both were doing their best to prepare for the impending fierce battle.

Jimmy, as usual, was holding a cup of hot tea.

He was only online to grind game playtime.

To be honest, Jimmy also wanted to see how this young man would handle this crisis.

Fang Heng, sitting before the bonfire, appeared to be staring blankly, but in reality, he was staring intently at the system game log.

[Prompt: Your zombie clone used a stone hammer to dismantle a structure, obtained Broken Firewood *1.]

[Prompt: Your zombie clone used a stone hammer to dismantle a structure.]

[Prompt: Your zombie clone used a stone hammer to dismantle a structure, obtained Broken Firewood *1.]

[Prompt: Your zombie clone used...]

[Prompt: Your zombie clone used a stone hammer to dismantle a structure.]

[Prompt: Your zombie has been attacked.]

[Prompt: Your zombie has been attacked.]

[Prompt: Your zombie has been attacked.]

It's here!

Fang Heng's eyes lit up.

"Can't even hold out that long? You lack willpower, brother."

Fang Heng licked his lips and muttered softly.

Our game has only just begun.

(End of Chapter)