The night passed without incident.
Lin Hui stretched his limbs and woke up from his 0.9-meter-wide bed. This was the first night he had spent in this apocalyptic world. However, he hadn't slept well; he had remained in a state of semi-consciousness, wary of any sound.
He checked the system immediately.
[Time Remaining Until Grey Mist Arrival: 04:54:02]
He had driven for another three hours last night; otherwise, the mist would have already overtaken him. Although his RV had infinite power, the Grey Mist followed like a shadow, exerting a silent but heavy psychological pressure.
Lin Hui went to the bathroom to wash up. The mirror reflected the face of a nineteen-year-old youth with messy black hair. His eyes were clear but distant, radiating a faint, cold aura of stillness.
After freshening up, he returned to the cockpit and prepared a bowl of instant noodles. As he ate, he scrolled through the Regional Channel.
After the purge of the overnight cold wave, the survivor count was fixed at [5,000,211].
Another two million gone. Those who remained clearly realized the brutality of this game.
"Buying Universal Fuel!"
"Buying tires! Mine are almost worn to the rims!"
"That monster last night was terrifying. My door was almost torn open. I need to upgrade my sports car!"
Ten minutes later, Lin Hui closed the system. From the shared info, he learned that killing zombies dropped blueprints, fuel, weapons, food, and medicine. Some players had already begun to form teams... while others had turned to crime. In a world without order, the inherent evil of humanity was being fully unleashed.
Lin Hui wiped his mouth and started the engine. Today's goal was clear: gather the 50 units of Steel and the remaining 3 units of Rubber needed for the Lv.2 upgrade.
However, he noticed a problem. Because of his infinite fuel, he was in the "leading tier" in terms of mileage. This meant he saw almost no abandoned vehicles on his stretch of road. Do I need to turn back?
He drove slowly along the highway, prepared to reverse course. But after traveling about twenty kilometers, his gaze locked onto something in the wilderness to the right.
Lying in the withered, yellow weeds was a behemoth.
A crashed military helicopter!
Though the fuselage was snapped in two and the rotors were twisted, its thick armor and reinforced landing gear were "high-quality specialty steel" in Lin Hui's eyes.
"Lucky break!"
He floored the gas, and the RV rolled off the roadbed toward the wreckage. Near the debris, a lone zombie wandered aimlessly.
[Target]: Agility-type Zombie (Tier 1)
[Strength]: 10
[Agility]: 20 (Note: Top-tier sprinters are 20)
[Constitution]: 20
"An Agility-type?" Lin Hui raised an eyebrow but didn't slow down. He didn't plan to ram it; he planned to lure it away.
Vroom—! The engine roared. The zombie immediately locked onto the RV and lunged like a cheetah. Lin Hui predicted its movement, jerked the wheel, and led it on a chase in the opposite direction.
Ten minutes later, seeing no sign of the creature in his mirrors, he looped back toward the helicopter. But halfway there, he felt something wrong.
The vehicle panel refreshed:
[Current Status Updated]
[Durability]: 5% (Abnormal tire pressure in all four wheels. You can only travel another 50km. Immediate replacement recommended.)
Lin Hui's face darkened instantly. He leaned out of the window and saw that all four tires had gone completely flat, the rims pressing into the dirt. Embedded in each tire were several homemade, razor-sharp triangular steel spikes glinting in the light.
Caltrops. Someone had laid a trap.
"I've been played."
This was no accident. These caltrops were specifically designed to shred tires and placed perfectly in a blind spot. Someone's reaction time was even faster than his.
A minute later, the rumble of an engine approached. A battered sports car painted in chipped yellow paint pulled up, stopping twenty meters away.
The doors opened. Two men and a woman stepped out.
The leader was in his thirties with a jagged scar running from his brow to the corner of his mouth. Behind him stood a young woman with a striking figure and a "yellow-haired" youth (the Huangmao) who was casually twirling a car key.
The youth sauntered toward the RV, feigning concern. "Hey brother, you alright? This place is crawling with zombies. We saw you stopped here for a long time and thought something happened. Came to check on you."
The Scarface didn't speak, but his eyes were glued to the RV, a flash of greed crossing his face. It was a proper RV—large, sturdy, and warm. Compared to their drafty, makeshift taxi, it was a palace.
Lin Hui stayed inside the car, his right hand resting casually in his jacket pocket, his fingers already gripping the cold handle of the Axe-Pistol.
"Yeah, flat tires," Lin Hui said tonelessly.
"Oof, that's rough!" The youth slapped his thigh. "Middle of nowhere and the Grey Mist is nipping at our heels! Brother, fate brought us together. Why don't you ride with us?"
"Ride with you?" Lin Hui tilted his head.
"Yeah! Our car is a bit beat up, but it runs, doesn't it?" The youth and the Scarface began to fan out, flanking the RV. "We're all humans here; we gotta help each other out!"
Help each other?
Lin Hui watched them. The youth's hand was hidden behind his back, his posture tense despite the casual walk. He was constantly peeking into the RV to see if anyone else was inside. This was classic "car-jacking" theater. Lay the spikes, wait for the breakdown, then swoop in as "saviors" until the victim lets their guard down.
"No thanks," Lin Hui said flatly, his body coiling like a spring. "I can fix it."
The youth's expression shifted. The Scarface took a heavy step forward, now less than five meters away.
"Don't be so stubborn, brother," Scarface's voice was raspy and menacing. "We're the only ones left. Only by grouping up can we survive this hellhole!"
Lin Hui's lips curled into a mocking arc.
"Cut the act. If I'm not mistaken, those spikes belong to you."
The youth's face froze. The Scarface's eyes instantly turned murderous.
"Sh*t! Since you've seen through it, don't blame us for being ruthless! You think hiding in that tin can will save you? We have ways of getting you out!"