A broken template, poor Yang Tian!
"Boss! If they want to come up, they'll have to step over my corpse first!" Tiger stroked his long MG3, a grin spreading across his rugged face as he strode towards the east passage.
"Kid, from now on, you're one of us! Remember this: teammates are the key to survival!" Lion said seriously, tossing Yang Tian a radio. He continued, "Now, I'm giving you a codename... You'll be called..."
"Puppet!" Yang Tian replied without hesitation. "Codename Puppet!" It was his in-game name, and now, in this game-like world, he wanted to keep that name.
In an instant, Yang Tian's profile suddenly changed—status showing as "in a team." At this moment, Yang Tian was finally accepted into the mercenary unit.
"Alright, Puppet! You'll join them in defending that safety passage!" Lion nodded, acknowledging Yang Tian's chosen codename. He then turned and commanded, "Final team—Hound, Snow Leopard! Defend that office! Be careful; the passage connects to that office. You have plenty of cover. Do you have confidence in completing the task?!"
"Yes!" Snow Leopard nodded firmly—he was one of the mercenaries who escaped from the fallen military vehicle.
Hound's eyes flickered, seemingly deep in thought, but he also nodded.
"Good! Silver Fox, stay with me and guard the escalator! We have three defense points—everybody stay sharp! Fifty-four minutes until our extraction! Push through! Drinks are on me when we make it out—at our usual spot, Rose Bar!" Lion shouted.
"Woohoo!" A loud whistle followed. Tiger laughed, "Other than my 'darling' MG3, I love that bartender the most, haha... For the beauty! For the booze!"
But no one echoed his cheer. The atmosphere remained heavy—Black Bear, who used to lead the cheers, was now either in heaven or hell.
...
The last floor was evidently the executive office area—spacious, elegantly decorated, but somewhat empty. The level had only three entrances: the escalator, the safety passage, and the emergency exit that connected to one of the offices. Of course, the elevator was broken and couldn't be used.
Lion set up grenades in key positions, then took the heavy machine gun off his back and set it up skillfully. He was giving instructions to Silver Fox when a sudden shout from Tiger echoed from afar, "Brothers! Get ready!"
Yang Tian's team, the closest to Tiger, immediately turned to look. Meanwhile, Snow Leopard and Hound had disappeared into the large office in the distance, apparently not hearing Tiger's call.
Tiger glanced at his watch, muttering, "5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Merry Christmas!"
Boom...
Yang Tian felt the building shake slightly beneath his feet, followed by the distant, raspy roars of zombies echoing through the floor, as if the sound could pierce the heavens.
"Haha... HAHAHA..." Tiger laughed loudly, clearly satisfied with his handiwork. Amid his laughter, Yang Tian found himself momentarily stunned. His in-game profile showed his team points skyrocketing!
"Ding... Team kill—Zombie x1, reward: 2.5 points..."
"Ding... Team kill—Zombie x1, reward: 2.5 points..."
"Ding... Team kill—Zombie x1, reward: 2.5 points..."
...
"Damn, this is it! We're making bank! Team kills give point bonuses!" Yang Tian was thrilled, watching as several new items appeared on his exchange list.
Character: Yang Tian
Status 1: Human
Status 2: In a team
Points: 109 (previously 9)
Exchange List Status: Open (not fully unlocked). Currently available items below 100 points...
...
Yang Tian quickly opened the exchange list and saw the items were those from the in-game store!
When Yang Tian saw the Five-Seven pistol in his inventory, he almost stomped his feet in frustration. Even a basic item like the Five-Seven pistol required 60 points! What a joke! Tiger had blown up so many zombies, and he'd only managed to earn this many points. And yet, this puny pistol cost 60 points?!
Pistols: 1. Five-Seven—60 points; 2. Elites (Dual Pistols from CS)—80 points
Tools: Flashbang... Smoke Grenade...
...
Boom...
Another explosion followed Tiger's laughter, and Yang Tian's exchange points surged again, quickly reaching 206.5 points!
Yang Tian didn't waste time and checked the exchange list again. Sure enough, more items had been unlocked!
Pistols: Desert Eagle—150 points; Revolver "Soul of the Army"—180 points...
Submachine Guns: 1. P90—140 points; 2. MP5—160 points...
Tools: (more items available...)
Yang Tian was lost in thought, trying to figure out how to maximize his meager points when, a few minutes later, another loud shout from Tiger reached his ears, "Merry Christmas! Say hi to the old man upstairs for me!"
Boom...
Another tremor shook the building, and a few more deadly items appeared on Yang Tian's open assault rifle page.
"Damn, Tiger, I love you!" Yang Tian shouted excitedly. His points had reached 321.5! The exchange list was now open up to 320, and Yang Tian finally saw some worthwhile items!
Assault Rifles: MA41—320 points; AK47—320 points; G3SG1 (20-round semi-auto sniper from the game)—320 points...
Tools: Custom Incendiary Grenade. Description: Deals massive area damage to zombies, with flames continuing to burn the infected. Points required: 300...
Melee Weapons: ...
Caught up in his excitement, Yang Tian suddenly sensed something was wrong. Given the game's rules, he should have had many options to redeem by now, but the exchange list was surprisingly limited!
"Damn it, this crossover is unfair! Especially with a broken exchange system!" Yang Tian complained, glancing at his 321.5 points, then sighed, "These points are barely enough for one Custom Incendiary Grenade, and I'd be left with just over 20 points. How am I supposed to survive like this?!"
After careful consideration, Yang Tian found something called a "Lucky Chest?!"
Lucky Chest: Requires 300 points. Description: Lucky draw system that offers unexpected surprises.
Yang Tian ruffled his hair in frustration, mumbling, "Surprises? If I end up with a flashbang, I might just cry!"