Chapter 170: Dead Siege Practice (Part 7)
Coming? Where to?
The girl was stunned for a second before reacting, sniffing and continuing to type:
[This is all my husband: Wuwuwu, thank you sister. Although I haven't succeeded in dating you offline, you are a good person. I appreciate your kindness, but I probably can't go.]
There are too many zombies in the dormitory area. Even if I can successfully reach your building, I won’t be able to get in alive.
Maybe it was her fate to wander around and then die tragically outside.
The message sent by Tang Xinjue was still brief, but the tone was firm:
If you can make it to Building 33, we can pick you up.
[Want to take a gamble?]
[All of them are my husband:???]
[Really!!!]
Too shocked to notice the word "we" at all, the girl asked several times, "Is this really okay?" After confirming that the other person wasn't just impulsive and couldn't afford it, she wiped her tears and said sincerely, "Thank you."
Although she was terrified of dying, and though she could be killed if she was caught by a zombie on the road, she still had one last hope. She knew that wandering around outside was a dead end.
Glancing at the gradually rising mist outside, the girl gave a firm answer:
[I want to try.]
"Why did you suddenly decide to save her?"
After the dialog message ended, Zhang You asked.
Tang Xin Jue replied: "Because we changed her original fate."
From the conversation, we know that if they had not accidentally discovered the existence of their "good friend" Guo Guo, she would have died silently as soon as she entered the dormitory area.
Guo Guo touched the tip of his nose: "Actually, we didn't help her at all at the beginning. We just happened to let her hide for a while..."
Tang Xin Jue: "And she happened to survive."
The emphasis on the word "coincidentally" made Zhang You immediately understand: "Is this NPC's connection to us special?"
Just as Guo Guo said, they didn't actually provide much help to each other, nor did they place any hope on the other party's slim chance of survival in the security room at that time.
But precisely because of their participation, the other party's life trajectory has undergone a huge change, as if...
"It's as if she can survive if we take action!"
Guo Guo didn't know why this illogical thought had popped up in her mind. She simply followed Tang Xinjue and Zhang You's thoughts and subconsciously came to this conclusion. Reading it again, even she found it absurd.
Tang Xin Jue nodded: "From a certain perspective, it can be understood this way. This is actually the connection between special NPCs and candidates."
Guo Guo: "...I seem to understand, but I also seem not to understand."
"Let me give you an example." Tang Xinjue explained slowly, "Remember the copy of the headless ghost in the classic movie appreciation?"
The plot of the dungeon revolves around a special dormitory, and the four people, Jin Wen, Wei Xian, and others in that dormitory are special NPCs to them.
The same goes for Grandma Mayas in the highway copy, the ghost girl in the original bedroom in the health inspection copy, etc.
"Our actions may not change the final outcome of these NPCs, but they will definitely have some impact on them. Similarly, their endings will also affect our dungeon progress and evaluation. From the moment we enter the dungeon, we are bound to each other."
This time, Guo Guo finally seemed to understand. "So [All My Husband] is also a special NPC? But is there any necessary connection between this and saving her?"
If we use this standard, then should the class monitor and Fangfang Qiuqiu from the next dormitory also be considered special NPCs?
Tang Xin Jue shook his head. "This is something I just realized: the NPCs we encountered previously don't require us to actively explore them. As the main storyline progresses, they will naturally appear before us."
But what if it’s a survival game like Dead Rising, where the main storyline is just a background copy?
"So I'm wondering. Is there a special kind of NPC that won't appear on its own, but instead needs to be triggered by us? If we remain oblivious, they'll die like all other ordinary NPCs. But once triggered, a special connection is formed, and they'll appear before us through a dungeon hint. Only then will the process they belong to begin to function."
"In the game, we call it: side story."
[This is all my husband: Potato, Potato. I'm Eggplant. I've successfully left the supermarket and am now hiding in a small garden corner near Building 3, checking the map. Over.]
The girl's adaptability and acceptance were even higher than the four people in 606 had expected. From the moment the plan was finalized, she moved quickly while sending messages at a surprisingly steady pace.
He even asked them, "Do you have enough food and drinks in your dorm? Do you want me to bring some over?"
[Alas, it was our first surprise meeting, so I felt bad not bringing a gift. I had carefully prepared a box of homemade egg tarts, but in my haste to escape, they all smeared all over the zombies' faces.]
Guo Guo, who had been able to remain calm, finally broke down when he saw this:
"What? Egg tarts!"
She had missed a whole box of egg tarts fresh from the oven without even realizing it!
Guo Guo angrily ate two bites of his biscuit, then glanced out the window. His emotion turned to worry: "The fog outside is getting thicker. Will she be affected?"
Zhang You studied the photos sent by the other party. "The ground visibility is okay. It seems that the fog is increasing at a steady rate. At this rate, it will reach a density that makes it difficult to see the road by the time the next broadcast begins."
As long as the girls can arrive in time within this period, the rest will be left to them.
Having said that, the concerns about girls shifted to another aspect.
Guo Guo swallowed the biscuit and said carefully:
"Can we, right?"
She looked towards the sink.
In front of the bathroom mirror, Tang Xinjue wiped the toilet plunger. The clean, new plunger made a popping sound, without disturbing the white ball sleeping like a dead pig in the sink.
"Can."
She spoke clearly.
…
[This is all my husband: I have successfully left Building 3 and am now in the bicycle shed near Building 21. There seem to be some people nearby, but I'm not sure if they are infected. Over.]
[Guo Guo: It’s very close now. Building 33 is at the end of the road heading south.]
[It’s all my husband: Great!]
The girl looked over the map in her phone's files several times, confident: "I've memorized the map by heart, I won't make a mistake this time!"
"this time"?
Guo Guo's attention was distracted by the words, but was immediately diverted back by a new message that popped up:
[It’s all my husband: Wipe, wipe, wipe! Those people are coming towards me!!!]
She sent me a few pictures, which were blurry because they were taken in a hurry, but she could make out a row of crooked figures in the distance. It would be difficult for a normal person to walk such a rugged path.
Without 606's words, the girl had already slid down to her knees and hid in the corner, crawling behind several bicycles, her thumbs flying across her phone screens:
[I'm dying, dying, dying! I might die before I'm even halfway there... Oh, did I tell you my name yet? My name is Yu Wei. When you burn paper after my death, remember to write my name on it, or I won't be able to take it away...]
[Oh shit, they’re coming!]
606 was afraid of making noise and affecting the other party, so he didn't dare to reply to any message.
The phone remained silent for a long time, so long that Guo Guo's heart turned cold, before suddenly a photo popped up in the dialog box.
In the photo, a group of people are gathered in front of a first-floor window, with their hands reaching into the window as if pulling something.
Dark bloodstains flowed from the windowsill, and things that were not sure whether they were flesh or limbs were piled up under the window. The arms of this group of people were also covered in blood, and there seemed to be sporadic blood spots splashing in the air.
Another photo was sent, this time much clearer. A humanoid figure could be seen being forcibly pulled out of the window, its face still screaming and wailing. Its legs were being pulled by several pairs of hands from inside the window, as if two groups were playing tug-of-war.
Tang Xin Jue observed for a few seconds and said, "It's the dormitory management lounge on the first floor of Building 21."
This university dormitory area is very similar to their real school. There are no student dormitories on the first floor. There are only hot water rooms, laundry rooms, garbage rooms and a rest room for dormitory managers.
The boy who was torn in the photo looked young and should be the student hiding in the dormitory lounge.
Guo Guo breathed a sigh of relief: Being able to send photos now means the girl is still alive.
After a while, the words "typing" appeared in the chat box.
My husband: Thank God, the danger is over for now. I'm far away from that building now and should be able to reach you soon.
[This is all my husband: Oh, did you see the photos I just posted? If you were there, you would have been as scared as I was. Because those people were all alive, alive!!]
606 was slightly startled, then immediately understood what she meant.
Tang Xin Jue typed: [You mean, those gathered outside the window to catch people aren't zombies, but students who haven't been fully infected yet, right?]
Yu Wei nodded vigorously. "That's right, that's what I meant. They were not only able to walk, but they were also able to communicate. The window was originally locked, but they only opened it after all the coaxing and persuasion from outside."
[As soon as the window opened, the gang suddenly attacked and grabbed people, pulling off their fingers and arms. They then broke the window and got in. I don't think anyone inside could escape. It was terrifying.]
She escaped in such a hurry that she still couldn't figure out whether those people were zombies or not.
"Some people are still alive, but he's dead."
Tang Xin Jue patted Guo Guo's head, shaking off his goosebumps. "The squad leader's appearance was just a preview. We'll probably have to face many more people like this next."
There are still 20 minutes until the radio is turned on again.
There are still 20 minutes left before the fog completely covers the outside.
At this moment, the input reminder on the other side of the phone suddenly appeared and disappeared, then reappeared and disappeared again. It was as if I was in a very tangled situation.
Guo Guo hurriedly asked: "What's wrong?"
[It’s all my husband: …]
[My husband: There's one thing. I can't seem to find your dorm building.]
She sent me a photo and said shamefacedly: "I could see it originally, but after I ran here, I suddenly couldn't find it. Is it because of the fog that I was blocked from seeing?"
The four of them looked closely and saw that the dormitory building in the photo was clearly marked [Building 13] .
Yu Wei waited anxiously for a few seconds before finally receiving the message:
[It's not the fog that's blocking the view, it's you running the wrong way.]
Yu Wei: “…”
Yu Wei: “!!!”
[Building 13 is to the north of Building 21, and Building 33 is to the south of Building 21. The former is to the left along the parking garage exit, while the latter is to the right. They are two completely opposite paths.]
Yu Wei's hand trembled slightly as she held the phone. Meanwhile, the person on the other end of the line continued calmly adding:
[Are you a bit directionally challenged?]
[This is all my husband: …I’m sorry!!! (kneeling.jpg)]
My husband: I didn't mean to hide it. I thought I wouldn't get lost in the dorms. I overestimated myself. (Tears streaming.jpg)
[My husband: Don't give up on me, I can still be saved! Let me see the map.]
Just as Yu Wei was trying to calm down and open the map file, she received another map from the other side.
Zhang You: [This is the route map from your current location to our dormitory building. Go straight ahead. If you feel the route is wrong, feel free to share your location. We'll be waiting for you at the end.]
Yu Wei: [——Sister, how could I be so lucky to have such a good friend like you? You are my second parents. Wait for me, I will be there right away!]
This time, she finally stopped rambling on with her messages, and her phone fell completely silent. Guo Guo also took this opportunity to open the pictures Zhang You had just marked.
If we follow this route, then Yu Wei's final destination should be...
She turned and looked out the balcony window.
——Right below their balcony!
Count down ten minutes.
No more messages appeared on the chat software, and the whole world seemed to have entered a strange state of silence.
Guo Guo counted the time minute by minute, and suddenly realized another problem: "She didn't send a message, is it because her phone is out of battery?"
Yu Wei had already mentioned at the supermarket that her phone's battery life was dangerously low. Even with its long standby time, it would have stopped working by now.
What if she was already downstairs and had no way of telling them?
Guo Guo and Zheng Wanqing looked at each other, then rushed to the balcony and almost bumped into Zhang You.
Zhang Youchang stopped them with his hand and said calmly, "Don't let too many people stay on the balcony, or you might alert the enemy ."
Then he comforted her, "Xin Jue and I are here."
The two of them immediately felt relieved, as they were still full of confidence in their roommate's investigative ability.
As soon as he finished speaking, a message suddenly popped up on Guo Guo's phone, but it was not from the account "All My Husband".
[The guy next door: Ding ding, I'll be downstairs soon!]
Guo Guo:?
[Next door Qiuqiu: I’m Yu Wei!]
The person on the other end then explained: "My phone was dead. I ran into a zombie swarm while running from Building 13 and couldn't find a power bank. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to contact you, so I stole one of the zombies' phone."
[The next door Qiuqiu: I was just trying to save a dying horse, but I didn’t expect that I would stumble upon a dead mouse. You are really on the list. God bless me hahahahaha]
Guo Guo's gaze slowly moved upwards, glancing at the familiar nickname above him. Combined with the fact that the other party had just run out of Building 13...
Isn’t this the “Qiuqiu” in the next dormitory?
Yu Wei quickly sent another message: [I didn't miss the right place this time. I'll be there soon. I can already see your dorm building!]
Tang Xinjue and Zhang You exchanged a glance: "Okay, we'll go pick you up right away."
[Next door hill: Okay, but this seems to be the back, I need to go around and find the main entrance later...]
[No need to look for the main entrance.]
Yu Wei was stunned: [How do I get in then?]
Tang Xinjue took the phone and said simply: "Come in right here."
After sending the message, she grabbed the hemp rope around her waist and flipped her body over the railing!
At the bottom of the dormitory building. At the same time, the girl hiding in the bushes looked up with a blank expression, her pupils shrinking instantly.
Right above her, a figure fell straight down from the sixth floor along the wall outside the balcony?!
