Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Fortunately, everything was safe here. The door and window locks were simple, just for opening and closing, but the house itself was very secure—so long as the doors and windows were shut, no outsiders could get in."

"In the stillness of the night, faint sounds suddenly drifted over.

Mu Ying paused in her cleaning, opened the window, and listened carefully. “It sounds like someone’s coming?”

She felt a surge of delight—more money to be made.

Grabbing her long-handled kitchen knife, Mu Ying ran to the edge of the camp and squinted into the moonlight, trying to make out the figures. There were about five people, with a dark shadow trailing behind them.

Zombies?

“Over here! Run this way—the main gate’s over here!” Mu Ying shouted loudly.

Hearing her voice, the group quickened their pace.

They were members of the Binhai University Mountaineering Club. Today, they’d come to Qingshan Forest for a club activity, only for the apocalypse to descend, wiping out more than half their group.

The survivors barely managed to log into the game, did everything they could to shake off the zombies, and escaped into the forest. In the chaos, they hadn’t brought any water, so they headed to the Moon Lake Reservoir to get a drink.

But unexpectedly, they disturbed another small group of zombies near the reservoir and had to flee for their lives again. Because the girls in their group didn’t have much stamina, they never managed to shake off the zombies completely.

Mu Ying’s voice was like a lifeline. Without a second thought, they ran toward her.

As they got closer, they realized this was the camp mentioned on the forums, and the entrance fee was only five copper coins. They’d killed a few stray zombies themselves, so after pooling their loot, they managed to scrape together the entrance fee.

“The wall’s so low—can it really keep zombies out?” Liu Luoluo asked breathlessly, feeling far from safe.

“Don’t worry, zombies can’t get in,” Mu Ying reassured her kindly. “By the way, you don’t mind if I take care of those zombies, do you?”

“No, no problem… How are you going to… kill them—” Xu Shan didn’t finish his sentence before seeing Mu Ying charge toward the gate.

The zombies crowded at the entrance but couldn’t get any closer, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.

The girl, who looked even younger than them, swung her odd long knife with practiced ease, hacking at the zombies without hesitation, a look of excitement on her face.

He glanced at Liu Luoluo and Cheng Wei, who had only managed to kill a crippled zombie and log into the game with his and Liu Cheng’s and Li Wei’s protection, and couldn’t help but wonder if girls were actually a different species.

“Shan, Cheng, let’s get in on this too!” Li Wei called to his friends. This was a great chance to farm monsters—they couldn’t let someone else take all the credit.

Unfortunately, their knives weren’t as long as Mu Ying’s, so their attacks were awkward and ineffective. Even after a lot of effort, they didn’t manage to land the killing blow on any zombies.

“Since you guys brought the zombies over and helped out, let’s split the loot fifty-fifty,” Mu Ying offered amicably. Anyway, it would all end up in her pocket eventually.

“No need, you did all the work—you keep it. But since we just got here, could you help us out and tell us about the camp?” Xu Shan was too embarrassed to take any copper coins; the three of them, grown men, couldn’t even match a single girl at killing zombies.

“Yeah, you keep it,” Li Wei and Liu Cheng agreed. They’d learned from watching her—if they added long handles to their knives, maybe they’d be just as good. Better to make friends.

“How about this: the treehouses in the camp are for rent, ten copper coins per night. The loot totaled thirty copper coins, so you guys get a third—just enough to rent a night. Treehouse No. 1 is a general store, which opens tomorrow. I’m renting No. 2, so you can pick between No. 3 and No. 4,” Mu Ying said, showing them around the treehouses.

The three guys thought of the two girls in their group; having a place to stay would be much better, so they agreed.

Liu Luoluo tugged on Cheng Wei’s sleeve and gave her a look. Cheng Wei smiled and called out to Mu Ying, who was about to head back inside. “Mu, it’s dangerous for you to be alone. Why not join us? We can team up to fight zombies tomorrow and look out for each other. What do you think?”

“Yeah, it’s really dangerous for you to be on your own,” Liu Luoluo chimed in.

“I’m planning to learn a few spells first, so I’m not in a hurry to go zombie hunting,” Mu Ying replied. At the very least, she wanted to be able to handle zombies on her own before heading out.

“Huh? You’re a mage too? Did you get a spell scroll?” Cheng Wei asked excitedly.

“No, I’m a druid. I don’t need spell scrolls,” Mu Ying replied, giving her a sympathetic look. In the early stages of the apocalypse game, mages really had it rough.

“Sigh, druids are so much better than mages,” Cheng Wei said, deeply disappointed. She’d imagined casting flashy spells and mowing down enemies, but now she didn’t know when that would be possible.

“Mu, there are three guys and three girls in our group. How about we rent two treehouses together?” Liu Luoluo said, patting Cheng Wei’s arm in comfort.

Mu Ying gave them a suspicious look. “I have enough money. I don’t need to share.”

Cheng Wei whispered awkwardly, “Luoluo, just let it go.”

“Look, it’s not convenient for me and Cheng Wei to squeeze into a small house with three guys. And it’s not easy for you to go out zombie hunting alone. If we team up, it’ll be safer. Plus, I’m a priest—I can heal you in the future,” Liu Luoluo said confidently. In the apocalypse, healing abilities had to be valuable.

“You don’t need to worry about safety. The camp forbids any kind of fighting. Also, if you share a treehouse with them, you’ll all count as owners and be protected by the house. As for healing, druids have healing spells too,” Mu Ying said loudly, making sure the girls’ teammates could hear.

Mu Ying found even living alone in a treehouse a bit cramped, let alone sharing. This was her territory—why should she inconvenience herself? Besides, in the apocalypse, survival was tough for many, and moral boundaries naturally got looser.

While the two girls anxiously glanced at their teammates, Mu Ying quickly climbed up into her treehouse. The two who hadn’t been granted permission were blocked by the house’s protection mechanism.

“She—how can she be like this?!”

“Forget it, Luoluo. Having a place to stay is already good enough.”

“Don’t pretend to be nice…”

Their bickering was cut off outside the door. Mu Ying let out a sigh of relief—what a sweet burden!

As for what was sweet about it, Mu Ying scooped up the small pile of copper coins on the table—the entrance fees and rent they’d just paid her. She set the payment portal on the table.

She counted them: twenty-five coins in total. Added to her own, she now had fifty-three. When the general store opened tomorrow, she could see what good stuff was available.

Yuan Gungun sprawled out in its little nest, sleeping soundly. Mu Ying crawled into her sleeping bag as well.

Thinking back on the day, it had really been an eventful one. Who would have thought the apocalypse would let her become a homeowner ahead of schedule—and even claim her own territory?

When Shi Yin came back, she’d be able to pat her chest and say, “Look, pick any house you like!”

How wonderful! Just imagining it made Mu Ying laugh out loud. She wondered when Shi Yin would be back.

“I need to level up fast. When he comes back, I’ll show off my skills and really surprise him, hehe.” Ever since Shi Yin started his inheritance, Mu Ying had felt a little anxious—she was just an ordinary person and couldn’t help him much. Now, at last, she had a way to improve herself.

The unfamiliar sleeping bag was a bit uncomfortable, but given the circumstances, having a place to sleep was already a blessing.

Mu Ying felt content. She rolled over, adjusted her position, and soon drifted off to sleep."

"The morning mist in the forest was thin and pale, and the birds were the first to wake, chirping incessantly.

Mu Ying’s habit of sleeping in had vanished under the pressures of the apocalypse. Woken by the birds, she didn’t feel drowsy at all; instead, she was filled with energy.

After a night’s rest, Gun Gun’s fur seemed noticeably thicker, now almost completely covering its skin.

Once they’d eaten, Mu Ying tucked Gun Gun into her arms, grabbed a bucket, and headed out. She glanced at Treehouse No. 3 next door—no sign of movement yet, so they probably weren’t up.

It was still early, the sky just beginning to lighten. Breathing in the damp forest air was refreshing, filling her with a sense of peace, as if yesterday’s zombies had only been a bad dream.

Mu Ying went to the lake, filled her bucket with water, and added a few drops from the Spring of Restoration.

Back at camp, she began her daily practice.