Pushing the Crates

Leonard noticed a message in the first-floor player chat.

If they weren't lying, then tonight's key action is happening underground!

Leonard moved quickly and rushed to the first floor to check it out himself.

As soon as he arrived, he heard loud banging, sounded like someone hammering a door.

The noise was coming from the basement level.

It was pitch dark down there with no power, and only the sound of pounding doors echoed up.

Leonard hesitated, then turned on his flashlight and descended to B1.

Out of habit, he glanced at the admin group to check for updates.

[How long until the zombies break through the doors?]

[Less than three minutes.]

[If Zore goes down there alone, he's almost certainly done for.]

[Yeah, tonight's trial requires at least three players to work together. One person alone won't cut it.]

[Push the metal crates to block two of the doors, this will reduce the number of zombies. If all the doors burst open at once, even Zore won't survive!]

Leonard's brow furrowed as he read the messages.

He sped up and rushed toward the source of the banging.

Upon arrival, the situation became clear.

This was a newly unlocked area with three heavy metal doors. In front of them were two large metal crates.

Zombies were furiously slamming the doors from the other side that was the sound they'd been hearing.

Each door corresponded to a wave of zombies.

The durability of the doors was displayed and rapidly decreasing.

If the doors broke open, three waves of zombies would pour out at once!

Leonard rushed to one of the crates and placed his hand on it.

[This is an interactive scene object. It requires at least 3 players working together to move.]

"Three people needed to push the crate. It can't do it alone! This forces players to cooperate!"

It seemed this game wasn't just about competition—cooperation was sometimes vital.

To survive, one had to adapt and play every angle.

[Someone get to B1 now! A horde of zombies is about to break through! I need help moving the crates to block the doors!]

[The doors are nearly broken! I need at least three or four people here now!]

Leonard sent messages in the public chat, attaching a photo for proof.

Time was running out.

The pressure was intense, his sanity stat began to drop.

If too many zombies got out, even he wouldn't be able to handle it. He'd have no choice but to retreat.

It all depended on whether the other players would step up.

This wasn't just about helping Leonard, everyone's safety was at stake.

[Get over here now! Especially players on the first and second floors, you're the closest! If you don't help me, you'll be the first to die when the zombies break through!]

Leonard urged them again.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Creak... creak...

The three nearby metal doors shook violently.

Zombies clawed and slammed into them, the noise was nerve-wracking.

But then someone in the chat started causing trouble.

Clayman: [Don't listen to him, guys. It's too dangerous down there, you'd be walking to your death. He just wants to level up by killing zombies, so let him deal with it alone.]

The player "Clayman" spoke up.

Leonard's blood pressure spiked, he fired back immediately.

[If you don't know what you're talking about, shut up! There's a massive number of zombies tonight. If they all break out, everyone upstairs will be in danger, this isn't just about me.]

[I'll wait no more than two minutes. If no one shows up, I'm heading back upstairs. Good luck to the rest of you.]

[Clayman, you're in room 749. Say one more stupid thing and I'll pay you a personal visit.]

Leonard revealed Clayman's dorm number.

Clayman fell silent.

Time ticked by.

Leonard kept track.

If no one came, he'd leave. He wasn't going to face a zombie horde alone.

Then, rushed footsteps approached.

Finally, someone had come to help!

It was a familiar face—tall and lean, with a sunny look.

The athlete who had helped Leonard before, his name was Fire.

"Fire?" Leonard's eyes lit up.

"Big guy, you still remember me," Max grinned.

"Perfect timing. We just need one more person to get this done."

"I live on the second floor, so I'm too close to ignore this. If things are really as bad as you say, it's better to gamble now than regret it later. In this game, you either risk it or die."

"Smart man."

Leonard glanced at the three doors. Each had different remaining durability. Some higher, some nearly gone.

All of them were below half.

Things were looking grim.

The two waited anxiously.

The sounds of the zombies behind the doors felt like death knocking.

The durability bars kept dropping.

"Why isn't anyone else coming?" Fire snapped.

"Give it a little longer. If no one else comes, I'll take you and retreat. We can't stay here and die." Leonard said grimly.

"Yeah… that's probably our only option."

Just then, footsteps again.

Another player sprinted in at high speed.

Leonard looked up.

Another familiar face, Purple Shadow!

This was a dangerous man.

Leonard's eyes narrowed, his guard rising.

Purple Shadow's face was covered with ragged cloth. A dagger hung from his waist, and he wore gear most players didn't have. Ranked third—he wasn't ordinary.

"I'm here to help. Tonight we kill zombies, no internal fighting, OK?" Purple Shadow raised his hands.

"If we fight each other now, we're all dead," Leonard said.

"Looks like we're on the same page."

"Alright. Get over here and help."

Leonard didn't have the luxury of being picky. Help was help.

The three of them pushed the crate together.

With enough players, the crate finally started to move—but very slowly.

The three quickly agreed to push the crate toward the door with the lowest durability.

But the movement speed was painfully slow.

Time was tight.

"Let me help too!"

Another player rushed in, chubby and pale.

It was the fattyboy!

He wore a pressure cooker on his head like a helmet. As He ran, his belly fat wobbled wildly.

Leonard was surprised he came but there was no time for questions.

"Help us move the crate!" Leonard shouted.

"On it!"

Fattyboy joined in.

The crate's movement speed noticeably increased with one more person.

They pushed it in front of the first door, locking it down.

One more crate to go!

Leonard turned around and led his temporary team to the second crate.

The first door's durability was almost zero, the zombies behind it were getting more aggressive.

20/300

8/300

2/300

At the last second, they managed to get the crate in place and block the door!

Now, only one door remained unblocked.

Everyone's eyes turned to it.

They knew what was coming.

BANG!

The door burst open!