"Close your eyes if you're afraid."
Gu Jingyong glanced at her sideways, and the cold gleam in his eyes was nothing new to Tan Xinger. When he killed those few zombies, Gu Jingyong also stared at them with the same look as if looking at dead people.
Tan Xinger looked at his clenched fist and understood what he wanted to do. After a moment's thought, she said, "Using your ability again will be too much for your body."
"It's okay. Those zombies are after me, so it's a burden on you guys," Gu Jingyong said, making sure the black car ahead didn't notice them before slowly opening his palm.
Tan Xinger didn't try to persuade him anymore, just turned her gaze away, not wanting to witness the dismemberment.
The surrounding air began to stir, and it was the first time Tan Xinger directly felt the power Gu Jingyong controlled.
Previously, it was the dismemberment of the zombies they collided with, but this time, it began with the distortion of the air.
Gu Jingyong deliberately avoided the air around Tan Xinger, but it was inevitable that she would be affected.
It was somewhat like suffocation caused by thin air and the feeling of confinement when placed in an airtight space. Something intangible was being manipulated tangibly, causing a huge upheaval.
Soon, as Gu Jingyong flipped his palm, it felt like the air reached its peak, and Tan Xinger had a momentary feeling of suffocation, which then eased in the next moment.
Soon, there were several dull sounds from behind the car. Tan Xinger could imagine the scene without even looking back.
Tan Xinger propped her head on her hand against the window, trying to calm the turmoil in her mind.
She accidentally saw Gu Jingyong wiping away the traces of blood from his lips, a bit of crimson leaking from his fingertips caught her eye.
Tan Xinger straightened up and looked at him. "Are you okay?"
Using his ability multiple times had dealt a huge blow to his internal organs, and the backlash was too fierce. Even Gu Jingyong was struggling to cope.
But Gu Jingyong shook his head, waving his hand to indicate that he was fine. He believed that recovery was only a matter of time, and there was no need for Tan Xinger to worry.
"Who would want to harm you? Even in entering a dungeon, they didn't forget to assassinate you, and it seemed quite ritualistic."
Tan Xinger couldn't stop herself from asking about what had just happened.
"I have no idea who it is," Gu Jingyong said, frowning, unable to determine.
"...," Tan Xinger fell silent for a moment after hearing his words and then looked at his face, which seemed to be seriously contemplating.
"So, how many enemies do you have?"
"I don't know, I've never kept count," Gu Jingyong shook his head, turning the steering wheel to turn the corner and catching up with the black car ahead.
"It must be countless," Tan Xinger muttered to herself.
"They don't know you, so they won't do anything to you," Gu Jingyong looked at Tan Xinger, who seemed to be afraid of implicating herself, and comforted her.
"I hope so," Tan Xinger muttered, raising an eyebrow and turning to look out of the window.
The two cars alternated leading the way, and their speed increased significantly. Soon, they saw the shadows of the other two financial buildings.
The floors were too high to see the scene on the top floor, so there was no way to know if the escape doors had been opened.
Gu Jingyong parked the car in a secluded place before the zombies could gather around. Just as he was about to open the car door, Tan Xinger grabbed his arm.
"Don't get out yet."
Tan Xinger stared outside, trying to find something among the surging zombies.
Sure enough, she found her target after a while.
Pointing to the figure moving through the crowd of zombies, Tan Xinger said, "The dungeon is about to end, and everyone will definitely come here. Where there's an escape door, there will definitely be people going there. That group is heading towards Qianshi Building. Maybe they got some information."
"In the dungeon, although player communication with electronic devices is blocked, there must be a way to pass on the location of the escape door if they want to."
Tan Xinger said confidently, then added, "You guys in the Western Union should also have a way to contact each other, at the very least, you should have your own unique mark to facilitate guild members helping each other."
"We do. It's a five-petaled flower with a missing petal," Gu Jingyong said without hesitation.
"A five-petaled flower with a missing petal?" Tan Xinger thought of something and looked at Gu Jingyong incredulously.
"Yes, what's wrong?" Gu Jingyong didn't expect her to be so surprised and found it strange.
"I've told you before, I've encountered a group of players before, and they've drawn this pattern on the wall. It seems that those people are members of your Western Union. Unfortunately, they're all dead," Tan Xinger felt it was an inexplicable coincidence to encounter members of the Western Union.
"Twenty-eight players from the West are expected to enter this instance, so there should be other survivors," Gu Jingyong said, somewhat surprised, but quickly distracted by the commotion outside the car.
The zombies had surrounded the car, attacking it one after another. Through the windows, the two inside could see that they seemed particularly excited.
Tan Xinger looked at the undead outside, feeling overwhelmed. Dealing with even one would be difficult, let alone hundreds.
The car was being rocked back and forth by their attacks, like being on a bumper car ride. Cracks were starting to appear on the windows, and it wouldn't be long before they shattered.
Gu Jingyong gestured to Tan Xinger to buckle up her seatbelt. She complied, gripping the door tightly with both hands and bracing her feet against the floor, her whole body tense.
Gu Jingyong then stepped on the gas, and with a loud rumble, the car plowed through the zombies in front and staggered into the building.
Countless zombies became roadkill along the way, and the car was nearing its breaking point.
As the car came to a stop, Tan Xinger felt a bit dizzy, but she didn't dare to delay. She unbuckled her seatbelt and rushed out of the car.
Gu Jingyong grabbed her hand and they sprinted towards the staircase, with hordes of zombies chasing after them, closing in with every step.
Tan Xinger's heart was in her throat, but she also felt the thrill of danger, adrenaline pumping.
"That way," Tan Xinger pointed out a sign and pulled Gu Jingyong towards it. Uncertain of how many zombies might be in the corridor, they decided to take a risky move and opted to take the elevator.
One elevator happened to be on the ground floor. Tan Xinger eagerly waited for the doors to open, but to her dismay, they were greeted by a group of eager zombies.
The zombies inside the elevator immediately lunged at them with hungry eyes. Tan Xinger instinctively crouched down and then rammed into the legs of one zombie, knocking it down.
The fallen zombie, with its mouth wide open, emitted a foul stench.
Just as the zombie was about to bite her leg, Tan Xinger jumped aside in time.
Gu Jingyong took care of the zombies chasing after them, kicking them away one by one. He created some distance between them and Tan Xinger, giving her a chance to act.
Dealing with the undead was a headache, but Tan Xinger had studied countermeasures in advance. She pulled out a piece of rope from her pocket and maneuvered around the zombies. As they turned, she swiftly looped the knotted rope around their necks.
The slip knot turned into a noose, tightening around the zombies' necks. Tan Xinger took advantage of this to attack, twisting the fabric around the zombies.
With their hands bound, the zombies couldn't reach Tan Xinger with their tongues and could only struggle with brute force.
Gu Jingyong intervened in time, grabbing the zombies by the collar and throwing them out of the elevator, knocking down two more approaching zombies.
The elevator doors slowly closed, and the grotesque faces of the zombies disappeared from view.
The elevator was covered in bloodstains. Tan Xinger found a relatively clean spot to stand, still recovering from the thrilling experience just now.
"When the doors open later, what if there's a large group of zombies?" Tan Xinger leaned against the wall, watching as the elevator floors slowly scrolled. Suddenly, the elevator shook, startling Tan Xinger, who instinctively grabbed Gu Jingyong's arm.
She looked around warily and realized that the elevator was stuck on the 85th floor.
"Such an auspicious number," Tan Xinger said with a somewhat mournful expression, looking at Gu Jingyong, who seemed surprised by her reaction.
"Eighteen, a number that many people avoid when buying houses, and here I am stuck on the 18th floor," Tan Xinger muttered to herself as she lightly tapped the closed elevator doors.
There was no response, as if the elevator were stuck on the 18th floor.
"Damn, stuck in the elevator," Tan Xinger said, rubbing her chin, staring at the reflection on the elevator door.
She didn't dare to tamper with the malfunctioning elevator. A careless move could result in a serious accident.
But staying trapped here would also delay their escape. They were in a dilemma.
"Don't worry, let's wait and see," Gu Jingyong said, looking at Tan Xinger's troubled expression with a hint of amusement. His serious demeanor seemed out of place with her somewhat naive face.
"We can only do that," Tan Xinger said as she sat cross-legged, not caring about getting more stains on her clothes. Leaning against the wall, she found that this was the most comforting place she had been in these few days.
The space was small, but it felt very safe, especially with a living person next to her.
Gu Jingyong leaned against the wall as well, seeming a bit tired. He closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
"Now we have some time, why don't we talk about why you came to find me?"
Tan Xinger rested her chin on her hands and looked at Gu Jingyong, who slowly opened his eyes and looked back at her. In his indifferent gaze, she could see her own reflection.
"Because you remind me of someone I know."
Gu Jingyong suddenly averted his gaze and stared into the corner as if lost in thought.
"Someone like me?"
Tan Xinger looked at him in astonishment. She was just an NPC in the dungeon. How could she resemble the person he was looking for?
"So you came to find me because you think I might be her substitute? The player you're looking for is someone you like, right?"
"Not a substitute, because you might actually be her."
Gu Jingyong's gaze fell on her, carrying a hint of intensity, making Tan Xinger feel nervous under his scrutinizing gaze. She forced herself to meet his eyes.
"Not a player, because she can't be found in the dungeon."
Gu Jingyong's words were cut off as the elevator suddenly began to shake and then plummeted downward.
As it fell, the elevator emitted a loud grinding noise, as if it were being dragged by something broken.
Tan Xinger immediately hugged her head with both hands, feeling the sensation of weightlessness brought on by the descent. She held her breath carefully, and finally, the elevator came to a stop again.
After a few seconds of silence, the elevator doors slowly slid open. Seeing the zombies outside, Gu Jingyong quickly picked up Tan Xinger and rushed out before she could react.
The zombies chased after them relentlessly. Tan Xinger was carried by Gu Jingyong, unable to see the zombies behind them.
But occasionally, zombies would emerge from ahead, almost hitting her face, only to be kicked away by Gu Jingyong.
Gu Jingyong led Tan Xinger through the building, and she glanced at him, thinking about the words he hadn't finished saying earlier.
Saying "not a player" also denied that the person he was looking for was someone he liked.
"That's good, otherwise it would be awkward," Tan Xinger muttered to herself.
Soon, Gu Jingyong brought Tan Xinger to an empty room, with zombies banging on the door from outside, refusing to give up.
Tan Xinger was set down, and she realized that she was now able to recover quickly from stressful situations. It seemed that the turbulence of the past few days had greatly tempered her mentality.
"Thank you," Tan Xinger said politely. She had been worried that Gu Jingyong's injuries would worsen after carrying her for such a long distance, but seeing him calm and composed, she decided to seize the opportunity to toughen herself up. It seemed like she was the newbie who needed care after all.