Chapter 22: Accepting a New Mission, Forced to Starsea City

Li Xingyue bolted upright in bed, instinctively pressing his back against the wall, staring blankly at the yellow-toothed man looming over him.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Yellow-Tooth looked instantly aggrieved. "I didn't want to, brother, but every time I think of that man, I have nightmares. I just can't sleep!"

Hearing this, Li Xingyue felt a wave of helplessness. He could understand; after all, it was an ordeal no one could easily endure. With no other choice, Li Xingyue began telling him bedtime stories. To his surprise, it actually worked—Yellow-Tooth soon grew drowsy, his eyelids fluttering shut.

*Phew*, finally, time to sleep!

Just as he prepared to pull the covers up, he turned his head and nearly jumped out of his skin. Liu Yi, Liu Er, and Liu San had somehow appeared behind him, listening intently to his storytelling.

"Are you planning to scare me to death so you can inherit my position as team leader?"

The three brothers looked a bit embarrassed. Liu Yi scratched his head. "It's just... we've been bullied for so many years that we’ve never had a good night’s sleep. Your stories are so good, we just wanted to listen."

Listening to them, Li Xingyue couldn't help but ponder. It seemed that for most ordinary people, this was how the last ten years of the apocalypse had passed. Compared to those who had already perished, they were perhaps the lucky ones.

He told the three brothers a few more stories until everyone returned to their bunks, and only then did Li Xingyue finally lie back down.

Five o'clock in the morning. The sky was just beginning to pale.

*Yawn.*

Li Xingyue sighed, looking at the four men nearby, cursing under his breath. So much for not being able to sleep and having nightmares—their snoring was louder than anything he’d ever heard! He decided he would have to go to sleep earlier tomorrow. Shaking his head, he drifted off into a deep slumber once more.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he felt someone shaking him.

"Captain, wake up! Look at what time it is!"

Li Xingyue was jolted awake, looking around in a daze before his mind cleared. "I just freaking fell asleep!"

Feeling a wave of exhaustion, Li Xingyue got dressed and splashed cold water on his face in the restroom, which helped him feel a bit more alert. "Pack your gear. Let’s head to the cafeteria, eat, and then go check the mission hall."

"Got it!"

The five of them geared up and headed to the cafeteria, each ordering a set meal that included meat.

"The meat dishes in this cafeteria are so expensive. At this rate, our points will be gone in a few days," Yellow-Tooth complained while gnawing on a bun.

Liu Er nodded. "It is expensive, but don't worry. Once I become the Mayor of Freedom City, you can have all the buns you want!"

Yellow-Tooth rolled his eyes. "All you ever do is talk nonsense."

Liu Yi let out a satisfied belch. "Eat up, we need to go check the missions!"

Their appetites were quite large, and they quickly polished off their plates. One good thing about the apocalypse was that everyone was disciplined about not wasting food. Checking his wristband, it was 8:50 AM. The plaza outside the cafeteria and dorms wasn't crowded yet, as most people were likely still asleep.

The five arrived at the Zombie Hunter Bureau hall, where large screens displayed the currently available missions. The reason they insisted on coming in person was that they could see not only daily missions but also bounty contracts.

After circling the hall, they didn't find anything particularly suitable.

"Damn, this personal bounty is ridiculous. 100 Tier-1 crystals for only 600 points? Talk about a greedy capitalist!"

"That's nothing. Look at this one: bring back survivors for only 20 points each. How is that even worth it?"

Normally, personal bounties paid better, but occasionally, these frustrating ones popped up. They looked around, and while there weren't any great options, they had to take something, or their points would soon run dry.

Just as they were debating what to take, a woman’s voice called out from the side: "Morning. Planning on taking a new mission?"

They turned to see Huang Qian. After exchanging greetings, Li Xingyue replied, "Yeah, we're looking, but nothing seems quite right."

Huang Qian nodded. "Understandable. Because your team rank isn't high enough, the missions posted here in Sector C have lower rewards. Once your team reaches Rank 2 or your personal levels increase, you'll be able to take better jobs."

They agreed with her, but still felt troubled by the board. Li Xingyue suddenly had an idea. "Didn't they say a team can take multiple missions? We can take two and split into two groups to finish them. That would greatly increase our efficiency!"

The other four thought it over and agreed. They picked two E-Rank missions: one to kill a certain number of Tier-1 zombies and retrieve their crystals, and the other to locate vehicles and gasoline that were at least 70% functional.

They split into two groups. The three Liu brothers went for the zombie mission, while Li Xingyue and Yellow-Tooth went to hunt for vehicles. After checking their gear, they set off.

They parted ways at the city gate and headed in different directions. Li Xingyue and Yellow-Tooth planned to head for a town to the west, where there were still plenty of cars. The mission shouldn't be too hard.

There weren't many zombies on the road, and they soon reached the outskirts of the town. Just as Yellow-Tooth was about to push forward, Li Xingyue grabbed his sleeve.

"Yellow-Tooth, wait. Look ahead!"

Yellow-Tooth blinked, startled, and looked forward. He realized there were people ahead—and not just one or two. At a rough glance, there were at least twenty or thirty of them. It seemed word of this place had gotten out.

Yellow-Tooth looked worried. "So many people... what about our mission?"

Li Xingyue found it棘手 (tricky). Even if they could find a suitable car, there was a high chance it would be snatched away by the others! But they were already here; giving up didn't feel right.

"Yellow-Tooth, do you dare to take a gamble?"

Seeing the determination in Li Xingyue’s eyes, Yellow-Tooth hesitated, then his expression hardened. "Let's do it! Screw them. At worst, I'll take one of them down with me!"

Li Xingyue felt heartened and patted his shoulder. "We won't engage them head-on. We'll sneak around to the far west side of town, find a car, and once we do, we drive off immediately!"

Yellow-Tooth nodded, following Li Xingyue along the edge of the town toward the west. About half an hour later, they reached the western side and crouched down, creeping toward the center of the town. They checked every car they passed, but none were satisfactory—until the ninth one.

*Psst! Psst!*

Yellow-Tooth signaled quietly. Li Xingyue hurried over and saw a sedan that met all their requirements—it was in good working order.

Li Xingyue jumped into the driver's seat. Just as he was about to start the engine, a shout erupted nearby.

"Holy crap! Boss, come over here! Someone's stealing a car! There are only two of them!"

Dammit! They'd been spotted!

Ignoring everything else, Li Xingyue cranked the engine, released the handbrake, and sped toward the western exit of the town.

"Damn it! Take our cars and chase them! Get that vehicle back!"

"Yes, sir!"

Seven or eight people piled into two cars and began to give chase. The roar of engines echoed through the town.

Yellow-Tooth looked back. "Boss, two cars are following us! No, wait—holy crap, it's nine! More are coming!"

"It's over! They're all chasing us! Can we even make it back to Freedom City now?"

Li Xingyue looked in the rearview mirror at the line of vehicles. He knew he couldn't turn back; they would likely be surrounded. He felt his heart racing, unsure of what to do.

Yellow-Tooth was panicking. "Boss, think of something! If we keep going forward, we'll hit Star Sea City! There's an Eighth-Tier Zombie King there—we'll die even faster!"

*Wait, Star Sea City? An Eighth-Tier Zombie King?*

*Damn, why didn't I think of that!*

The fear in Li Xingyue’s heart vanished in an instant. He turned to Yellow-Tooth, grinning. "Brother, we're going to Star Sea City!"

Yellow-Tooth trembled. "Boss... is it too late for me to get out of the car?"