Lin Hui remained perfectly calm in the face of Scarface's threats. He remembered the first rule of survival:
[Survival Rule #1: Your vehicle is your Safety Zone. No one may enter without your permission.]
As long as Lin Hui stayed inside, Scarface and the youth were powerless to reach him.
Scarface hissed, "You think driving away will save you? Your tires won't last. We'll catch up eventually! We can't get in, but we have plenty of ways to force you out!"
"Is that so?" Lin Hui replied coldly. He whipped out the Axe-Pistol, leveling the barrel at the two men.
"A gun!"
Their pupils constricted. In the face of "Ultimate Truth," how could they not be afraid? It was a terror etched into their very DNA.
The youth immediately threw his hands up, shouting, "Wait, brother! This is a mis—"
BANG—!
Before he could finish, Lin Hui pulled the trigger. At such close range, the youth at the front had no time to react. The bullet tore through him, the massive kinetic impact flipping him backward into the gravel. He convulsed twice, his blood staining the withered weeds a dark crimson. He was clearly done for.
Scarface stared at his companion in the pool of blood, then back at the young man in the RV—who was expressionlessly resetting the hammer of the Axe-Pistol. A wave of ice-cold dread surged from the base of his spine to his skull. He never imagined Lin Hui would have a firearm.
"A misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" Scarface forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, his feet slowly shuffling backward. "We didn't know who we were dealing with! We're leaving! Take the car! Take the woman! You can have her, use her as bait to lure other players—whatever you want! Just please, spare me!"
"Misunderstanding?" Lin Hui's lips curled into a mocking sneer. "You didn't seem to think it was a misunderstanding when you were laying those spikes."
"That was the kid's idea! I—"
BANG!
Lin Hui didn't waste words. In this apocalypse, explanations were the most worthless currency. Only dead men don't stab you in the back.
The second bullet took Scarface right in the head. A shrill scream pierced the silence of the wasteland as he fell stiffly, his eyes wide with a lingering, sightless terror.
"Good luck today. Two shots, two hits," Lin Hui noted with satisfaction. The recoil was brutal, but the stopping power was undeniable.
He glanced at the two corpses. He felt a slight pang of nausea—this was his first time taking a life—but he suppressed it. A few more kills, and I'll get used to it.
His gaze shifted to the young woman. She had collapsed to the ground, having lost control of her bladder in terror. Lin Hui shook out his aching arm, pushed open the door, and walked toward her with an icy expression.
"Don't... please don't kill me..." she stammered, trembling as he approached.
"Name?"
Staring into those cold eyes, she instinctively blurted out her real name. "I'm Li Shuang."
Li Shuang? The same woman who had been pleading for help on the Regional Channel last night.
"Last night... the SOS on the channel. You were the lure, weren't you?"
"They forced me!" she sobbed, desperately pulling down her neckline to reveal her pale chest, her eyes pleading. "They made me be the bait... I had no choice! If you spare me, I'll do anything! I can warm your bed, you can use me however you want... in this world, having a woman to vent on is better than being alone, right?"
She was confident in her beauty. In the old world, she had survived on this trade, chased by countless "simps." She believed no man could refuse such an offer.
Lin Hui looked down at her tear-streaked face, then at the system prompt on his weapon:
[Ammo: 1/9]
Only one bullet left. She wasn't worth wasting it.
He exhaled slowly. "You'd only consume my food."
Li Shuang's pupils dilated. She didn't see lust in his eyes—she saw disgust. The kind of look one gives to a piece of trash.
"No! I'm useful! I—"
"Shut up!" Lin Hui barked. He had no time for this. He needed to dismantle the car and upgrade his RV before his tires gave out completely. He walked to the yellow sports car and summoned the interface.
"System, dismantle this vehicle."
[Scanning...]
[Owner deceased. Dismantling permitted.]
[Target: Taxi / Sports Car Hybrid]
A blue beam of light enveloped the wreckage.
[Ding! Dismantling complete!]
[Resources Gained:]
Rubber Tires x 4 units
Common Steel x 10 units
It felt like playing a video game, except the deaths were permanent. He pulled out the Lv.2 Blueprint, and the materials dissolved into streaks of light, flowing into the paper.
[Vehicle Upgrade Blueprint]
Requirements:
RV Lv.1 (Met)
Steel x 50 units (10/50)
Rubber x 10 units (11/10 - Requirement Met)
Lin Hui stowed the blueprint, ready to leave. Suddenly, Li Shuang lunged forward, grabbing his leg. "Take me with you..."
With the taxi gone, staying here meant certain death. Lin Hui remained unmoved. "You can try asking for help on the channel again. Maybe someone will come for you."
"No!" she shrieked. "You dismantled my car! You have to take responsibility for me!"
Lin Hui's eyes narrowed, his hand tightening on the Axe-Pistol.
ROAR—!
A sharp, piercing howl echoed from the distance. A grey shadow was streaking across the wasteland toward them at a terrifying speed.
It was the Agility-type Zombie.
Lin Hui had lured it two kilometers away to reach the helicopter, but the gunfire and the fresh scent of blood had drawn it back like a magnet. His adrenaline spiked. He kicked the woman away, retreated in a single motion, and hopped onto the RV's step, slamming the mangled door shut.
Li Shuang was left alone on the open road.
"NO!! OPEN THE DOOR! PLEASE!!" She pounded on the door frantically.
A second later, the grey shadow arrived. There was no suspense. The Agility Zombie pounced like a hunting leopard, pinning her to the ground.
"AAHH—!!!"
the scream lasted only two seconds before dissolving into a wet, gurgling sound of tearing flesh and swallowing.
Inside the car, Lin Hui's heart hammered against his ribs. Too fast! If he had been a second slower, he would have been next. He took a deep breath and released the handbrake. While the zombie was occupied with its "meal," he floored the gas.
He was heading for that military helicopter. He was going to get that steel. He was going to upgrade.