Hunter's Game 2: Zombie Paradise - Chapter 10

“Congratulations, players. By using the two vital clues—the newspaper and the glass building—you have solved the game. The system awards each player ten points, plus a five-point stage-clearance bonus, and grants special permission for you to enter the safe room early.”

“Mr. Li Mo made an exceptional contribution during this round and will receive an additional ten points.”

“Updated scores will be available on your watches shortly.”

“Please remain seated and hold on. We will take you directly to the safe room.”

Everyone cheered.

At last, we could relax our taut nerves.

The mine cart sped along the winding track much faster this time.

Five minutes later, the safe room came into view.

It was large, with thick steel plates bolted across the exterior walls. The windows were bulletproof and reinforced with protective bars.

Once the cart stopped, we climbed out in turn and approached the door.

“The safe room uses a keypad lock. Please enter the four-digit code: 4380.”

We entered it, and the door opened.

After everyone filed inside, it locked automatically.

The interior was spacious. Warm air gusted through it, dry and comforting.

To people who had spent hours in clammy cold, it was paradise.

We looked around curiously. There were five bedrooms, along with bathrooms and toilets.

A generous buffet waited in the dining area, and a tall freezer beside it was packed with beer and soft drinks.

There was also a broad lounge with comfortable sofas, a flat-screen television, a music player, board games, and more.

It was a world apart from the arena outside.

After the night’s ordeal, every player was hungry and exhausted. We charged the buffet and began devouring everything in sight.

I checked my watch. It was eleven at night, which gave us an extra hour of rest.

While I was at it, I checked the latest scores.

My grenade at the glass building had killed seventeen zombies, earning seventeen points.

The special rewards added twenty more, and the clearance bonus another five.

Together with my eight points from the first round, that gave me a total of fifty.

I now ranked first among the players.

I checked Chen Lang’s record. At the glass building, he had killed nine zombies with his sniper rifle, earning nine points.

With the ten-point special reward and the five-point clearance bonus, he had earned twenty-four points in the round.

Added to the fifteen from the first stage, his total was thirty-nine.

Chen Lang now ranked third.

As I studied the standings, he arrived carrying two large plates of steaming food.

“Senior, hurry up and eat. Look what I found—these spicy pig trotters are stewed so tender they’re falling apart. And these tiger prawns are fresh!”

“You start. I’ll get the beer.”

He found a quiet spot, set down the plates, and went to the freezer.

I collected two sets of utensils and arranged them.

When he returned, we both wolfed down the food.

By around midnight, everyone had finished eating.

We moved to the roomy lounge and sprawled every which way across the sofas.

After a brief round of introductions, I finally had the chance to get to know the group properly.

There was the gamer, Lin Xiaoyou; the tall, thin Han Zhong; the burly Qin Wu; and Fang Shuyan, a graduate of one of China’s elite universities.

Jiang Hai was the only other professional player in the group besides me—what people commonly called a Hunter.

Luo Yang was a criminal investigator with several years’ experience apprehending suspects.

Ning Hao was a karate black belt.

Fan Zehong studied at a sports university and won his school’s long-distance running championship every year.

Then there was my junior, Chen Lang. His combat ability rivaled that of a special-forces soldier, and he was a crack shot who never missed.

I lowered my head in shame. Sure enough, I was the group’s designated weakling.

Luckily, Chen Lang was a born extrovert. He was currently spraying spittle as he boasted about my performance in the previous game.

He had nearly convinced the other players that I could walk on water. They all looked at me with a measure of respect.

“Brother Mo really is impressive! Without him, how could we have reached the safe room so quickly? And we unexpectedly made an extra ten points.”

“Exactly! That analysis left me completely speechless.”

“We’re lucky to have Brother Mo as our strategist!”

Under their praise, I coughed awkwardly.

I never thought I would live to play the role of a dubious armchair strategist.

After everyone had flattered everyone else for a while, I remembered the real matter at hand.

“It’s time we opened the briefcase we took from the factory.”