In the quiet of the night, a faint noise suddenly arose.
Mu Ying stopped tidying up the house and opened the window to listen carefully, "It seems like someone is coming?"
She felt a surge of joy in her heart, there was money to be made.
Grabbing a long-handled kitchen knife, Mu Ying ran to the edge of the camp and strained her eyes in the moonlight, making out about five people, with a dark mass trailing behind them.
Zombies?
"Run this way, the gate is over here," Mu Ying shouted loudly.
Hearing Mu Ying's voice, the group quickened their pace.
They were members of the Coastal University mountain climbing club, who had just gone to Qingshan Forest for a club activity when the apocalypse struck, losing most of their members.
With difficulty, the survivors had logged into the game, had tried every means to shake off the zombies and had fled into the woods. However, the chaos was so great that they brought no water, planning to get some from Moon Lake Reservoir.
Unexpectedly, near Moon Lake Reservoir, they stirred up a small group of zombies and had to flee for their lives. Since the girls in the group lacked the energy, they couldn't shake off the zombies.
Mu Ying's voice was like a lifesaving grace. Without thinking too much, they ran towards it.
Only upon approaching did they realize this was the camp mentioned on the forums, and the entrance fee was only five copper coins. Having killed a few isolated zombies themselves, the group pooled their coins and paid the fee.
"This wall is so low, can it really stop zombies?" Liu Luoluo gasped for air, feeling insecure.
"Don't worry, the zombies can't get in," Mu Ying comforted kindly, "Also, you don't mind if I kill these zombies, do you?"
"No, no objections. How are you going to kill..." Xu Shan didn't finish his sentence before he saw Mu Ying rushing to the gate.
Zombies were squeezed at the gate but couldn't get any closer, as if an invisible barrier was keeping them out.
The girl, who seemed even younger than them, brandished a bizarre long knife, wielding it with fierce gusto, chopping at the zombies mercilessly and with an excited smile on her face.
He glanced at Liu Luoluo and Cheng Wei, who had barely managed to kill a crippled zombie and log in the game under his, Liu Cheng's, and Li Wei's protection, and deeply doubted whether girls were a different species altogether.
"Ah Shan, Ah Cheng, let's join in," Li Wei said to his companions, not wanting to miss this great opportunity. It wouldn't do to let someone else reap all the benefits.
Unfortunately, their knives weren't as long as Mu Ying's, making their attacks awkward and ineffective. They struggled greatly and failed to snag any kills for themselves.
"You brought the zombies here but also helped out, so let's split the loot fifty-fifty," Mu Ying said amicably, certain that it would all end up in her pocket anyway.
"No need, it's all yours," Xu Shan declined any share of the copper coins, as the three men hadn't managed to kill zombies as efficiently as a single girl. "We're new here. Could you please help introduce us to this camp?"
"Yeah, you take it," Li Wei and Liu Cheng agreed, impressed with the girl's techniques. If they could modify their own knives with an extended handle like hers, they too could be that formidable. Instead, they decided to make a friend, exchanged names, and introduced themselves.
"How about this: the Tree Houses in the camp can be rented, 10 copper coins per night. There's a total of 30 copper coins for the loot, I'll give you a third, which is just enough for a night's rent. Number 1 Tree House is a general store, opening tomorrow. I've rented number 2. You can choose between number 3 and 4," Mu Ying showed them a few Tree Houses.
Thinking of the two girls in their team, the three men knew it was better to have a shelter to stay in, so they agreed.
Liu Luoluo tugged at Cheng Wei's sleeve and made a gesture, then Cheng Wei called out to Mu Ying who was preparing to go back to her Tree House, "Sister Mu, isn't it dangerous for you to be on your own? Why not join us? We can go kill zombies together tomorrow, it'll be safer. What do you say?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's so dangerous for you," Liu Luoluo echoed.
"I plan to learn a few spells first, not in a hurry to kill zombies," she would at least wait until she could face a zombie alone before venturing out.
"Eh? Are you also a Mage? Did you get a Magic Scroll?" Cheng Wei asked excitedly.
"No, I am a Druid, I don't need Magic Scrolls," Mu Ying looked sympathetically at her, thinking that Mages must be the most pitiful profession at the beginning of the Doomsday Game.
"Sigh, Druids are so much better than Mages," Cheng Wei was extremely disappointed; the vision she had of Mages performing spectacular spells and decimating enemies seemed far from reach.
"Sister Mu, the six of us could rent two houses together, three men and three women. How about that?" Liu Luoluo soothingly patted Cheng Wei's arm.
Mu Ying looked at them skeptically, "I have enough money, I don't need to share a house.
Cheng Wei whispered embarrassedly, "Let it go, Luoluo!"
"You see, it's a bit inconvenient for me and your sister Cheng Wei, two girls, to squeeze into a small house with three big men. It's also not easy for you to go out and fight zombies alone. It's safer to team up with us. Plus, I am a Priest, so I can heal you later," Healing abilities should be popular in the apocalypse, Luoluo was confident she could persuade her.
"You don't have to worry about safety. The camp forbids any form of fighting, and if you share a house with them, you'd be considered the Master of the house and would be protected by it. As for healing, Druids also have Healing Magic," Mu Ying raised her voice, wanting the two girls' teammates to hear it clear.
Mu Ying felt even living alone was a bit cramped, let alone sharing, and it was her territory after all. Why should she compromise and share with others? Besides, there were certain lines she could not cross. During the apocalypse, survival was difficult for many, and moral standards naturally dropped.
Taking advantage of the moment the two became flustered and looked towards their teammates, Mu Ying quickly climbed up to the Tree House, leaving the two, who did not have permission, blocked by the Tree House's protection mechanism below.
"You... how can you be like this!"
"Never mind, Luoluo. It's good enough to have a house to live in."
"Don't pretend to be a good person here..."
The noise was shut out at the door, and Mu Ying breathed a sigh of relief. Such a sweet burden!
As for where the sweetness was, Mu Ying grabbed the small pile of copper coins on the table—it was the entrance fee and rent they had paid. She had set the receiving point for the money on the table.
Counting them, there were a total of 25 coins. Combined with her own, she now had 53 coins in total. She could check out the general store when it opened tomorrow to see if there was anything good.
Yuan Gungun was sleeping soundly in its little nest in a sprawling position, and Mu Ying crawled into her sleeping bag too.
Reflecting on the day, it had been quite spectacular. She had never expected to become a homeowner before the apocalypse, and even secured a piece of land to boot.
When Shi Yin returned, she could confidently tell him, "Look, so many houses to choose from!"
What a great feeling! Mu Ying couldn't help but laugh out loud at the thought, wondering when Shi Yin would return.
"I need to level up diligently. When the time comes, I'll show him my ability. It'll definitely give him a surprise, hehe," since Shi Yin began his inheritance, Mu Ying had been somewhat worried. Being an ordinary person, she couldn't help him much, but now she finally had a way to improve herself.
The unfamiliar sleeping bag was a bit uncomfortable at first, but considering the circumstances, having a place to sleep at all was quite good.
Mu Ying was very content. She turned over, adjusted her position, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.