Return to the Dormitory

At first, Leonard thought he had run into a zombie again.But after a closer look, he realized it was a human player, not a zombie.And it was a familiar face.It was that guy named "FattyBoy" in the game.The chubby guy looked like a walking good-luck charm, as if the kid holding a carp in New Year posters had grown up.

FattyBoy spotted Leonard and was overjoyed."Haha! Boss, we meet again! Once strangers, twice friends. Guess we're buddies now!"

FattyBoy turned around and waved over three more people. They seemed to be a temporary team, sticking together for safety.

Leonard walked up and asked, "It's already dark. What are you guys doing wandering around here?""We were heading upstairs to the dorms and heard something over here. Came to check it out, and saw you! Must be fate," FattyBoy said with a grin.

"I'm heading back. Good luck staying alive. I'm out.""Boss, you're going upstairs? Us too! Let's go together, safer in numbers.""I'm not interested in being your bodyguard."

Leonard refused and quickened his pace up the stairs.But FattyBoy, shameless as ever, waved his group to follow anyway.

Leonard glanced back, frowned, and barked, "Don't follow too close. If you get too close, don't blame me for what happens."Can't let your guard down with strangers. Leonard was wary of being ambushed from behind.

FattyBoy got the message and pulled his group back to keep a distance."Relax, boss, we're just following from behind. That's all. With you clearing the path, it's safer for us," he said with a forced smile.

Leonard wasn't a killer. He had no real way to deal with these clingy tagalongs, so he let them trail behind.

The group ascended one floor at a time.Third floor.Fourth floor.

By the fifth floor, two people peeled off. Their dorms were on that level, and they went in to take shelter.

Further up, strange noises echoed.A zombie staggered down the stairs.The ceiling lights flickered, casting intermittent flashes on the zombie.

Seeing it coming down, FattyBoy's two remaining followers panicked and backed off, gripping their weapons tightly.After a full day of scavenging, most players had weapons by now, even if it was just a chair leg.But stairway combat was awkward. Not much room to maneuver.

Leonard charged in without hesitation, wooden shield raised. He slammed into the zombie, knocking it to the stairwell corner, at least a flat landing.

He followed up, engaging the zombie in close quarters.Its clawed hands repeatedly struck the shield.Already damaged, the wooden shield gave out with a loud crack and shattered.

Items had durability. Once it hit zero, they broke.

Leonard paused briefly, then shifted tactics and launched a fierce assault.Triple strike!He drove the madman's handsaw into the zombie's head three times, each hit embedding deep into the skull.

During the clash, the zombie also scratched Leonard, tearing his sleeve and skin, leaving bloody wounds.Finally, the zombie collapsed.

Leonard cursed under his breath. That fight was messier than he liked, and he'd taken damage.Seeing Leonard wounded, FattyBoy nervously blurted, "Boss… you got scratched! Are you gonna turn into a zombie?"

Leonard ignored him, slumped against the wall, and pulled out a healing potion. He twisted it open and drank it straight.The taste was disgusting like drinking raw chemicals.Leonard almost spat it out."What the hell is this taste?! Worse than Chinese medicine!"

Wearing a pained expression, he forced it down, then chugged half a bottle of energy drink to rinse his mouth.His health bar climbed back up, the pain eased, and the medicine kicked in fast.

Zombie attacks caused bleeding, too.Every few seconds, Leonard's HP dropped a bit.So he pulled out a roll of bandages and wrapped his arm.

[Status: Bleeding removed. You are now healthy.]

"Getting hurt is a huge setback. You take one hit and it's medicine, bandages, the whole deal."

Using what supplies he had, Leonard got himself back to decent condition. FattyBoy and his teammate watched, impressed.A real pro, he actually had gear. Any average player taking damage like that would be dead meat.

They continued upstairs and reached the seventh floor.One more player left. His dorm was on that level.

Only FattyBoy remained, heading to the ninth floor.At the eighth floor, Leonard stopped.

"Boss, could you walk me a bit further? My dorm's just upstairs. I found two materials earlier. I'll trade them for your help," FattyBoy pleaded.

Leonard gave him a cold stare."If you rely on others for everything, you won't survive this game. Learn to stand on your own."

With that, Leonard turned and walked away. FattyBoy stood there awkwardly, left with no choice but to head up alone.

In the eighth-floor hallway, a zombie was prowling, sniffing around for prey.It was near Room 838.Rebecca's room!

The zombie caught a scent and suddenly bolted toward Room 838, claws swinging.Its iron-like talons shredded the wooden door, scattering splinters everywhere.

Inside, Rebecca screamed and frantically messaged Leonard for help.[Where the hell are you?! Come back now! A zombie's attacking my door!]

Luckily for her, Leonard had just returned.He lowered his stance and sprinted forward, picking up speed fast.Sparks flew as his shoes scraped the floor.

When he was just a meter from the zombie, Leonard leapt into the air and slammed a fierce kick into the zombie's head, sending a trail of sparks.

BANG!

The zombie's neck snapped. Its body staggered back and hit the wall, dazed.

Leonard landed, rushed up, and slammed the zombie's head twice.CRACK—CRACK!The skull exploded.

The body collapsed. A faint glow shimmered and an item dropped.Leonard picked it up. It was a small bottle of rosemary spray.When applied, it masked your scent, making you harder for zombies to detect for five minutes.

Harder to detect didn't mean invisible.If too close, zombies would still notice you."Nice find," Leonard muttered, pocketing the spray.

Just then, a door opened. Rebecca poked her head out.She had undone not two, but four buttons on her shirt. Those things were practically jumping out.

"Hey, handsome, I've been waiting so long. Thank god you're back. It's not safe tonight. Let me hide in your room, please!"

She pouted pitifully and swayed her curvy body. Her jiggling boobs was practically blinding.