In front of a ruined building, dozens of trucks were parked, and a dozen men were standing guard with crossbows.
Among them, a man wearing sunglasses was scrolling through the chat channel on his panel. A smirk played on his lips, he was Black Snake.
[Impossible, Boss Ryan is so powerful, he won't get hurt.]
[The difficulty of this zombie dungeon is absolutely absurd. Not only are there countless zombies roaming around, but you also have to endure hunger and a lack of supplies. This damn city is nothing like the initial description!]
[That's right, many of the houses are locked. Even if you manage to get inside, they are completely bare and empty—it's a total disaster.]
[Can anyone tell me where all the NPCs in this city have gone? The streets I see are filled only with dangerous zombies and endless decay. I took a risk coming here hoping to find supplies that I couldn't get outside, and now I wish I hadn't even bothered!]
[Exactly! I'm currently huddled in a parking lot, plagued by hunger and cold, and there are zombies banging on my car door... Ah, no! They're coming in! Ah!]
The channel was filled with wails of despair. The vast majority of players were struggling miserably in the dungeon, which had become a land of rampant death. Many started to reminisce about Ryan, who had helped them survive in the outside world.
[@Black Snake, in a situation where everyone is just trying to survive, how could you possibly attack Boss Ryan?]
[That's right! And Ryan can't be weaker than you guys. Honestly, I'd rather believe that Ryan met his end because of zombies, and that you picked up his dog.]
[Exactly, that explanation makes sense. This guy Black Snake is just a scumbag spreading rumors! Honestly, I really don't want anything to happen to Boss Ryan… He's our savior! Is the difficulty of this dungeon so high that even Boss Ryan can't escape?]
[If even Boss Ryan can't make it, then what about us… To be honest, I really regret being so cocky about entering this dungeon.]
Black Snake sat in his vehicle, watching the messages scroll through the channel. Finally, he sneered disdainfully, "Heh heh heh, these guys are just too stupid. But considering how miserable these rats are, I can forgive them."
[Black Snake: I feel sorry for you all. Your unfortunate circumstances have limited your imagination. Weaklings simply can't fathom the world of the strong.]
[Pfft, you think you can be considered strong? No matter how skilled you are, can you take on a zombie?]
[Black Snake: Good question! I'll answer all your doubts right now, and also show you my noble weapon.]
[Black Snake: (Attached a picture of a dirt shotgun)]
This shotgun is the very one from Leo. Since Leo was captured, this gun naturally became Black Snake's, and it quickly became his prized possession.
[Oh my God, a gun! It's a gun!]
[We don't even have crossbows, and Black Snake already has a gun?]
[So that's why! If he has a gun, I can understand why this guy isn't afraid of zombies, and why Boss Ryan might have been killed…]
[No way, is Ryan really dead?]
In a corner, Leo, all tied up, had a grim expression. In this city, the number of scavengers was extremely low, and firearms were incredibly rare. If it weren't for him stumbling upon Candy's leftovers, he wouldn't have been able to get the shotgun at all.
The impact of a gun brings both a shockwave and a significant effect.
But now, because of his own actions, Leo had allowed the shotgun to fall into enemy hands, and he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt!
'I've become a burden. Ryan, have you really been killed? It's all my fault…' Leo was filled with self-reproach.
Meanwhile, in a cage woven from branches, Buddy was struggling fiercely. It was like an unyielding lion, constantly trying to break free, and its roars never ceased.
Its eyes were bloodshot. If it could escape, it would undoubtedly eliminate this group of people without hesitation!
But it was powerless, the cage that bound it was incredibly tough and lined with thorns. The more it struggled, the tighter it became, digging deeper into its flesh.
Black Snake, watching the shock of others in the channel, felt an immense sense of pride.
Ryan had a huge reputation, and as the one who killed him, Black Snake would seize that reputation for himself, with no one left to stop him from doing as he pleased.
He was preparing to sell crossbows next. This was something many players dreamed of, and once announced, it would cause a massive frenzy!
Black Snake planned to sell the crossbows at five times the price of the materials. He was confident that even at that price, a huge crowd would come begging him to sell!
This time, he would definitely make up for the losses he incurred from the goggles, and make a handsome profit!
[Black Snake: Those who oppose me will end up like Ryan, but if you stick with me, you can enjoy the good life. I will soon be selling crossbows. Submitting to me not only brings many benefits, but I can also offer a 50% discount on crossbows!]
Black Snake posted the price for the crossbow in the channel, and as soon as this message was released, it caused a huge uproar!
[What… what? Black Snake has the crossbow blueprints? No wonder he's so powerful.]
[But this price is outrageous! It's obviously marked up five times—it's even worse than the goggles deal!]
[Heh, if you think it's too high, you don't have to buy it. A crossbow is such an important item, this price is reasonable. You think I'm running a charity? I support Black Snake!]
[Boss Black Snake… from today on, I'm with you!]
[Exactly! Me too, Black Snake, you're my leader now!]
[I can't back down now, I'm willing to follow Black Snake!]
Many people pledged their loyalty. Their individual strength was too weak, and the allure of the crossbow was too great. In an instant, many who originally supported Ryan all submitted to Black Snake.
Black Snake laughed heartily, his expression growing even more smug. Everything was going according to his plan.
He felt like a genius!
At that moment, other lackeys suddenly shouted, "Boss, it's bad! Ryan doesn't seem to be dead!"
"Look! Ruben and the others' vehicles just self-destructed for no reason!" The shouts from his subordinates kept coming.
"What!?" Black Snake was startled and rushed towards the source of the noise. He saw that Ruben's trucks had indeed been completely wrecked, visibly turning into scrap metal at an alarming rate.
This was because their cores had been removed, rendering the vehicles completely inoperable!
In the back, Leo and Buddy heard the news and were visibly shaken.
But Black Snake's expression hardened for a moment, a wave of unease washing over him. However, he quickly calmed himself and smiled confidently, "I have so many people, and I have the shotgun. Even if that Ryan guy miraculously got a second chance, what could he possibly do?"
He caressed the shotgun in his hands, treating it like a precious treasure, and said, "Ryan, I'll soon have a ton of materials, making the whole team stronger. If you come back, it'll be a one-way ticket to your doom!"
...
Ryan was driving, and he noticed the messages that Black Snake had sent in the channel.
Many people chose to become Black Snake's lackeys, but there was, of course, a price to pay. First, to qualify for being a lackey, one had to offer Black Snake ten materials of any kind.
For many players, that represented nearly all their assets, but they had no choice.
"The allure of the crossbow is that strong, not to mention the gun. However, I do have the blueprints for the crossbow now." Ryan murmured to himself as he maneuvered the steering wheel. He smiled faintly and thought, "That Black Snake guy said I was dead, huh? Well, I might as well show my face."
Just as he was about to open the channel, he noticed new messages popping up in the administrator group.
[Diamond K: I didn't expect that hunting mission to be completed so quickly. It seems some interesting characters have emerged.]
[Diamond 7: Heh, let's see if he can really survive this instance. After all, this instance is a scam in itself.]
[Diamond 8: You guys are so creative, pretending there are resources to loot and luring so many players into the city instance. The truth is, the resources here are pitifully scarce, all that awaits is death!]
[Diamond K: I suppose the number of players will decrease significantly. This aligns with our expectations, if the weak don't die off a bit, how can we identify the true strong ones?]
[Diamond 8: Well said. Currently, 30% of the players who entered the instance have already died. After the instance ends, I predict at least 95% of the players will perish here!]
[Diamond K: It wouldn't be entirely accurate to call it a scam, though. There are plenty of hidden rewards in this instance. For example, when you kill zombies, we've added a random drop feature to each one, with even a 0.1% chance of spawning a treasure chest. However, only the strong can discover these, the weak will just die!]