"Three, two, one."
Tan Xinger counted silently in her mind as she watched the last zombie rush into the office. With a strong push against the wall, Tan Xinger slid out.
The zombies became even more frenzied, propelling themselves forward with twisted limbs. Holding her breath, Jiang Qiqi seized the opportunity and hurled a chair towards them.
As the leading zombie stumbled, it brought down others behind it, creating a pile-up in the corridor. Tan Xinger seized the moment to grab Jiang Qiqi's hand, and they ran towards the exit, supporting each other.
The wheels scraped against the floor, making noise as Tan Xinger searched for an escape route. Finally spotting the sign, she hurriedly pulled Jiang Qiqi towards it.
"This way."
Tan Xinger untied the straps holding the wheels and pushed the door to the stairwell. With the zombies closing in, Tan Xinger dashed forward, pushing through, until the heavy wooden door finally gave way ajar.
"Quick!"
Tan Xinger pushed Jiang Qiqi inside first, then followed, narrowly avoiding a hand reaching in through the door slit, its dark nails mixed with flesh.
Tan Xinger stared at the hand inches away from her face, her heart stopping for a moment before she reacted, pressing against the door with all her might.
Another hand reached in through the gap, and the zombies outside exerted so much force that Tan Xinger's feet lifted off the ground several times, almost causing her to fall. She gritted her teeth and pushed against the door.
Jiang Qiqi watched the two hands anxiously, stomping her feet in frustration, but unable to help Tan Xinger push the door to prevent the zombies from bursting in.
"Keep holding on for a moment."
Tan Xinger, seeing the zombies' arms getting closer to her face, turned to Jiang Qiqi and said.
"Okay!"
Jiang Qiqi forcefully propped up the door, her toes pressing against the door slit, her knuckles turning white.
Tan Xinger quickly took off her coat and stuffed it under the struggling hands, pushing them back with all her strength, shaping them under the coat.
"Get lost!"
Tan Xinger used up the last of her strength to shove the zombie's hands away, and Jiang Qiqi used the opportunity to push the door shut completely, cutting off the zombies for good.
Exhausted, Tan Xinger slumped to the ground, her arms numb, feeling like they weren't her own.
Jiang Qiqi wasn't faring much better, panting heavily as she scooted towards Tan Xinger.
She placed her hand on Tan Xinger's left shoulder, but to her surprise, Tan Xinger jerked in terror, turning to look at her.
"Ah, you scared me."
Tan Xinger breathed out and leaned back, waving her hand at Jiang Qiqi.
"Sorry, sorry."
Jiang Qiqi smiled apologetically, returning to her senses from the brink of death, smiling genuinely, which was rare.
"Let's go. It's getting late."
Tan Xinger glanced at the stairs ahead, the endless staircase still waiting for them.
Compared to being chased by zombies, she was willing to climb the stairs.
Without Sun Hao's protection, Tan Xinger and Jiang Qiqi cautiously made their way through the corridor, tensing up at every turn of the stairs.
Lady Luck seemed to favor them somewhat, as they encountered no zombies until the 29th floor.
As they approached the thirtieth floor, Tan Xinger led the way, a dark figure suddenly lunged at the corner. Tan Xinger instinctively ducked.
"Gao Xin ge!"
Jiang Qiqi was also startled, but when she saw the person's face, she shouted with joy.
Tan Xinger silently stood up. It turned out to be Gao Xin and Si Qiao, leaning against the wall, watching them.
"Why is it just the two of you?"
Gao Xin glanced behind them, not seeing any other shadows.
At this point, Jiang Qiqi was suddenly furious, staring with wide eyes as she recounted what had just happened.
"It's okay."
Gao Xin listened with a frown, his face showing dissatisfaction and anger.
"Where's Gu Jingyong?"
Tan Xinger asked during a pause.
"He went to find you."
Si Qiao, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke, his sharp eyes piercing her.
"When did you split up with him?"
Tan Xinger was surprised. She didn't expect Gu Jingyong to go find her alone.
"He split up with us when he realized you weren't coming this way."
Gao Xin added, then said, "But he couldn't find you, so he should be coming to the 30th floor to meet us soon."
"Yeah."
Tan Xinger nodded and sat down on the side.
Sure enough, after another ten minutes or so, light footsteps approached them.
Si Qiao was the first to react, holding a short knife as he walked to the corner, peering out.
When he saw the person, he retracted the knife and silently leaned against the wall again.
As the person slowly revealed their true identity, Tan Xinger's gaze lifted, and when she met their eyes, she suddenly smiled, excitedly getting up and running over.
"You're back!"
"Okay."
Gu Jingyong glanced at her, only retracting his gaze after confirming she wasn't injured.
It was only then that Tan Xinger noticed he was splattered with blood, emanating a strong smell of blood all over his body. There were even traces of zombie fluids corroding his sleeves.
How many zombies did he kill?
Tan Xinger sighed inwardly, her gaze falling on the bruise under his eyes, much heavier than when she first met him.
"Take a break."
Tan Xinger motioned for him to sit down, and they began discussing their next plan.
"Qiqi just told me that the people upstairs are likely from the Northern Union. Those guys aren't normal. Once we go in, we must remain vigilant at all times."
After Gao Xin finished, Jiang Qiqi asked, "Shouldn't we wait for Sun Hao?"
"He's not here yet. Unless he reached the top before us..."
Gao Xin didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant, and the atmosphere grew heavy.
Tears welled up in Jiang Qiqi's eyes, falling onto the ground one by one, forming a string.
"Sob...sob...sob..."
Jiang Qiqi choked back tears, and Tan Xinger hurried to comfort her, the situation momentarily getting out of control.
"Don't cry. Maybe he went to scout ahead."
Tan Xinger knew this possibility was slim, but she could only offer this consolation.
"Crying won't help. Surviving is our only hope."
Gao Xin patted Jiang Qiqi's shoulder.
"Okay, I'll cry when I get back."
Jiang Qiqi wiped her tears and said something that made Tan Xinger chuckle.
"Alright, let's get ready to go up."
Tan Xinger helped her up, and they headed towards the last door together.
The handle of the rooftop door was chained, the lock hanging loose on the side, pried open by someone.
The heavy iron door slowly opened, and Tan Xinger stood behind, her heart also rising with it.
She had thought nothing would happen, but the next moment, several darting darts flashed towards them.
"Clang..."
Before Tan Xinger could react, she heard the sound of darts hitting the ground.
Gu Jingyong looked at the notch on the knife, his eyes gradually sharpening.
The gloom that had been hidden seemed to leak out again, but when he saw Tan Xinger standing beside him, he slowly restrained himself.
Tan Xinger looked at the darts on the ground in horror. This move was too ruthless, almost aiming to take lives directly.
Only after she calmed down did she realize that she had subconsciously grabbed Gu Jingyong's coat during the danger.
The clothes were twisted into a ball, and Tan Xinger even patted Gu Jingyong's coat a few times before he noticed and pulled his hand back, trying to cover it up.
The killing move was instantly broken, and the next second a loud voice rang out.
"Hey, someone's here!"
Tan Xinger followed the voice and saw a bald man walking out from the group. His exposed muscles looked strong and powerful.
"These muscles could probably knock out two people with one punch."
Tan Xinger looked up at the sky, muttering softly, but because the scene was too quiet, her voice seemed a bit abrupt.
"Haha, two is more than enough."
The bald man's gaze fell on Tan Xinger, suddenly lighting up.
"Hey, where's the little sister?"
"Sorry if we scared you just now, but we had to be cautious with so many zombies around."
The bald man walked towards them, his gaze shifting among them, lingering on Gu Jingyong seemed especially long.
"Hehe, it's not caution against zombies, but testing the players' skills, right?"
Tan Xinger grumbled inwardly, realizing that the bald man scrutinized Gu Jingyong extra because he saw the notched knife in his hand.
Knocking down a few darts barehanded, his skills were definitely extraordinary, which indeed intimidated the bald man.
"May I ask which union you guys are from?"
The bald man continued to ask politely when no one responded.
"We're members of the Southern Union. And you?"
Gao Xin seemed genuinely unaware, his expression serious.
"My brothers and I are from the Northern Union."
As the bald man spoke, the tattoo on the back of his hand "accidentally" showed, and Tan Xinger glanced at it, noticing that the letter "N" was a bit more complex than the previous one, with an additional circle outside.
Could this be the difference between "tear" written on paper and "tear" written on the wall?
"It's fate to meet in the game. We fled here and might have disturbed you."
Gao Xin continued with polite words, making Tan Xinger feel a bit numb. It was strange to hear such elegant words from this burly man.
"Not at all. There's plenty of space here. You're welcome."
The bald man smiled, seeming to only ask out of habit, and quickly returned to his side.
"That person is a mid-level member of the Northern Union, so his tattoo is more complex than others."
Jiang Qiqi leaned in close and whispered in her ear.
"So that's how it is." Tan Xinger nodded, unable to resist asking another question, "What if someone wants to leave the union? Do they cover up the tattoo?"
"The Northern Union is different from the other three unions. There's no concept of leaving the union. Even if you die, your name will still be recorded in the Northern Union's registry," Jiang Qiqi replied, shaking her head.
"So authoritative?" Tan Xinger was surprised. Without even the chance to change your mind, why did the Northern Union seem so prosperous?
"The Northern Union is like the dark side of the force. Although it's evil, the benefits are substantial. Many players avoid it, but some are drawn to it," Jiang Qiqi whispered, afraid of being overheard by the people nearby.
"I see," Tan Xinger blinked, and Jiang Qiqi nodded in satisfaction.
"Let me apply the medicine for you again."
While Tan Xinger was chatting, Gu Jingyong's voice suddenly came from beside her, making her turn her head to see him taking out the medicine oil from his bag.
The sight of the oil made Tan Xinger feel as if all her injuries were flaring up again, her body aching as if it were falling apart.
"Um, it seems like my left arm is worse."
Tan Xinger took off her coat, revealing clear marks on her arm, along with many scratches and bruises.
Gu Jingyong paused for a moment when he saw the injuries on her hand, then poured some of the medicine oil onto his hand and began rubbing it carefully, avoiding the wounds.
"Sorry."
Tan Xinger was enjoying Gu Jingyong's care when she heard his apologetic tone, looking at him in surprise.