Chapter Thirteen: The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Agreement

As soon as gunfire erupted on Yang Chunxi’s side, Lin Lei immediately focused his consciousness on the supply storage area and, as expected, noticed that the number of Level One zombies marked for recovery had increased by eight. After using the recovery markers, the storage area would no longer display the marked physical items, but would instead show the item names, quantities, and corresponding contribution points available for recovery.

“System, your service is really lacking! Once things are stored, there isn’t even a record—how am I supposed to distribute supplies to people later?” Lin Lei realized a loophole.

Without detailed data records, he would be at a disadvantage.

“The host may spend five contribution points to establish a comprehensive material flow data processing center, ensuring every transaction and every item has a detailed data record,” the system replied.

As expected, another paid feature. Lin Lei, now something of a local tycoon, couldn’t be bothered to fuss over such a small expense and simply let the system deduct the points and get on with it.

Soon, the data processing center was established. A screen projection, much like the material exchange area, appeared out of thin air in the supply storage zone, with rows of message logs displayed on the screen.

There were logs of previous material exchanges, of Lin Lei killing and collecting zombies, and, at the very top, eight unfamiliar names, each having gifted a zombie corpse to Lin Lei.

“This data processing center not only records in real time, but if you click on any specific character, you’ll see all related records. For example, clicking any of the names above will display all their interactions with the processing center,” the system explained in detail.

As long as there was contact with the supply storage area, it would be recorded, including any items Lin Lei took out or put in.

“Isn’t this just a simple ledger? And you’re charging five contribution points for it—what a rip-off!” Lin Lei couldn’t help but complain.

However, the system ignored him and immediately played dead.

“Lin Lei, Lin Lei... Hello! What’s wrong?” No sooner had he withdrawn from the consciousness space than Lin Lei heard Yang Xueli’s anxious voice.

“Oh! Huh? What is it?” he responded instinctively, then caught himself and quickly said, “I was just lost in thought for a moment. Did you need something?”

Lost in thought? She’d called him several times already! Still, though puzzled, Yang Xueli wasn’t one to press the issue, especially when there was more urgent business at hand.

“My brother is already engaged with the zombies—shouldn’t we head to the ambush point too?” She was still worried about exchanging zombies for ammunition. If Lin Lei didn’t go, and her brother lured a horde only to fail for lack of ammo, who would take responsibility?

“No rush. Let’s check on your brother first,” Lin Lei replied. From the start of the gunfire until now, only eight Level One zombies had been added, and now the shooting had ceased; he felt it was necessary to see what had happened.

Yang Chunxi had stopped firing because their luring plan had gone awry. In the past, when attracting zombies, after the first round of shots, they’d wait for the zombies to break into a run before firing again at those in the lead.

Level One zombies weren’t exactly slow—they could sprint a hundred meters in sixteen to twenty seconds. At that speed, if one fell, it could easily trip those behind, triggering a chain reaction and buying the luring team enough time, even drawing more zombies into pursuit.

However, the passive effect of the gift agreement had disrupted Yang Chunxi’s plans; the zombies’ running speed couldn’t be interrupted, so they had no choice but to flee headlong.

The survivors were all well trained, able to sprint a hundred meters in about twelve seconds—under full stamina, Level One zombies were unlikely to catch them. The only real threat was the much faster Level Two agile zombies, whose speed rivaled that of nine-second professional sprinters, and who seemed to lack fatigue entirely. Racing against one meant being run into the ground.

By the time Lin Lei and Yang Xueli arrived, some Level Two zombies were already overtaking the survivors. Yang Chunxi, leading several evolved fighters, was locked in close combat with them.

As a Level Three evolved, Yang Chunxi’s speed utterly overwhelmed the Level Two zombies. Wielding an alloy dagger with consummate skill, he could take down any zombie he targeted with a single strike.

Watching his graceful, agile movements—his unhurried advances and retreats, his crisp, clean attacks—Lin Lei couldn’t help but sigh, “Now that is the mark of an outstanding employee!”

Among the survivors, there was only one such exemplary figure. Meanwhile, the 0.05-contribution-point Level Two zombies kept accumulating, and eventually, some broke through Yang Chunxi’s defense, charging after the ordinary survivors.

The situation was dire—some survivors had already produced Molotov cocktails...

Zombies loathed high temperatures. When the ambient temperature exceeded eighty degrees, they would skirt the area, and the pungent odors from burning flames could mask the survivors’ scents.

But using Molotov cocktails would likely doom the luring operation to failure; survivors only resorted to this method as a last resort.

“Looks like it’s my time to shine,” Lin Lei declared, feigning gravity.

He raised his rifle, aimed, and fired in one smooth motion.

“Missed,” Yang Xueli, acting as spotter, reported immediately.

“Er... miscalculated the lead,” Lin Lei admitted, embarrassed.

Ordinary rifles, firing copper-jacketed bullets, had a muzzle velocity of about nine hundred meters per second. The TMV all-terrain tactical rifle Lin Lei carried, however, used caseless rounds with a directed energy ignition system, giving a muzzle velocity of up to five thousand meters per second and an effective range of twelve hundred meters.

Within two hundred meters, unless the target was moving so fast it became a blur, there was no need to calculate any lead.

With its ultra-low recoil and no need to account for bullet lead, the TMV earned its reputation as the “rookie’s magic weapon”—as well as the reason its ammunition was so expensive.

Although Lin Lei had directly used an “experience pack” to boost his firearms proficiency to the beginner level, real combat still brought its share of mistakes—like wasting ammo when rescuing Yang Xueli earlier, or missing this time.

Learning from his error, Lin Lei calmed himself, raised his weapon again, and fired.

The moment the shot rang out, a zombie a hundred meters away shuddered and vanished into thin air—only then did the sound of the shot reach its mark.

With Lin Lei providing long-range cover, Yang Chunxi’s group successfully lured the zombies to the ambush point.

Suddenly, the valley thundered with gunfire, and the zombie horde melted away bit by bit, like an iceberg thrown into molten rock.

The alerts pinging in Lin Lei’s mind left him grinning uncontrollably.

In the narrow gorge, zombies kept pressing forward. Here, the benefits of the contract became clear: with corpses vanishing instantly upon death, there were no bodies to pile up as steps, making it nearly impossible for Level One zombies to approach the thirty-meter-high stronghold—they could only serve as live targets.

Those agile Level Two zombies, with razor-sharp claws, could dig into the rock and climb, but this severely hampered their movements; usually, they managed to get only halfway before being gunned down by the group.

As for the towering, brawny Level Two brutes, their strength was useless here. Their thick hides made them tough, which was why Yang Chunxi had specially organized a sniper team equipped with armor-piercing rounds just for them.