Chapter Thirty-Four: A Miracle of Survival

This curve was wide and sweeping. When Murong Longcheng caught up to this point, he stopped in his tracks.

He knew that the last three would never escape now. Hearing the thunderous roar of machinery from the cave ahead, he understood that Wu Hua and his companions were waiting for the lift.

The indicator light flashed red repeatedly, and the voice from the monitor echoed:

“The lift will arrive at this location in 4 minutes. Passengers intending to board, please prepare.”

Four minutes—more than enough time for him to infect forty people, let alone these final three from Qimen Corporation.

Murong Longcheng was somewhat exhausted from the chase. He stretched lazily, which, to the three watching, looked like the prelude to a final, fearsome charge—his head thrown back, emitting a monstrous cry.

Yet Wu Hua grew calm. He stepped forward, drew a deep breath, and raised his Desert Eagle in both steady hands. “Time to strike at the very root again.”

Long Zhan Xingye and Qin MM watched him anxiously. They didn’t expect Wu Hua to kill the Mother, only hoping he might last until the lift arrived—a hope not entirely without basis.

With a wild howl, Murong Longcheng came charging forward, claws swinging.

The Desert Eagle spat fire. An armor-piercing round shot forth, aimed squarely at Murong Longcheng’s forehead.

The shot landed true with a muffled thunk, but the damage appeared in red: “-901”—a number far less than those inflicted while firing from the vehicle earlier. The distance was simply too great.

Qin MM’s heart seemed to freeze over, and Long Zhan Xingye abandoned all hope of holding out any longer. Yet, to their shock, Wu Hua did not fire again. Instead, he closed his eyes.

Was this the despair of a man resigned to death? The other two felt their breath catch in their throats. Murong Longcheng was now within fifty meters—mere seconds away from tearing their flesh with his claws.

“That’s right. Accept your end quietly. Spare yourselves unnecessary pain. Why run around, tormenting yourselves further?” Murong Longcheng sneered inwardly.

At that moment, Wu Hua’s eyes snapped open, glittering with fierce light. He did something that nearly gave his companions a heart attack—he charged straight at Murong Longcheng. Everyone knew what happened to a gunner who did such a thing.

But what no one realized was that Wu Hua had activated his “Focused Strike” skill. Every ounce of his concentration was funneled into his vision. In his eyes, there was nothing but a single point on Murong Longcheng’s forehead. The outside world vanished; even the wind in the tunnel was utterly silent.

“Ha! The experience is mine,” Murong Longcheng crowed, his claws swiping out.

Suddenly, a burst of fire flashed before him, dazzling his eyes. A deafening gunshot rang out, echoing down the tunnel.

A sharp pain stabbed his forehead, as if something had bored inside, draining away all his strength. His legs buckled, and he dropped to his knees—his claws halting less than half a meter from Wu Hua’s heart, black talons gleaming, unable to move another inch.

A strange, almost liberating sensation washed over him.

Qin MM’s camera fell to the ground. For the first time, Long Zhan Xingye’s face showed true shock, for they had both seen it clearly—a blinding golden number floated above Murong Longcheng’s forehead:

-9889!

The Desert Eagle had dealt five times its usual damage—a terrifying amount.

Wu Hua remained in his shooting stance, his clothes soaked through with cold sweat. He knew that shot was neither luck nor skill. It was something almost divine, a miracle that would never repeat itself.

“I... damn... you...” Murong Longcheng tried to curse, but the final word never left his lips. He knew he would have to finish it at the Federation’s general affairs hall.

System message:

“Honored player Baofeng, congratulations on leveling up! Current level: 17!”

“Congratulations on leveling up! Current level: 18!”

“Congratulations on leveling up! Current level: 19!”

“Congratulations on leveling up! Current level: 20!”

“Congratulations on leveling up! Current level: 21!”

A cascade of messages snapped Wu Hua out of his daze. He realized that the Mother’s level must have been extremely high, and losing a single level had propelled him up five levels at once.

“I...” The unexpected delight left Wu Hua speechless, still caught up in the thrill of that single, decisive shot.

“Fantastic!” Long Zhan Xingye realized a miracle had occurred at the last possible moment.

“Amazing!” For the first time, admiration shone in Qin MM’s eyes as she looked at Wu Hua.

“The lift has arrived. Passengers intending to board, please prepare.” The system’s voice sounded again, accompanied by the distant echoes of wailing and howling from deep within the tunnel.

“What are you waiting for? Get on, quick!” Long Zhan Xingye and Qin MM were already on the lift as it began to rise slowly.

At that moment, a terrifying spectacle unfolded at the curve—the zombie horde finally surged in, a dense, unstoppable tide. Wu Hua spun and charged for the lift with all the speed he could muster. His Desert 6 combat boots granted him an extra 20% movement speed, invaluable now. He lunged for the lift like a starving wolf, while Long Zhan Xingye lay on the steel platform, grabbing Wu Hua with both hands. Wu Hua’s legs still flailed in midair, with the seething mass of zombies just beneath him—a sea of darkness.

Yet, just before this, Wu Hua had managed one last, breathtaking feat—turning in midair as he leapt, he fired a volley at the indicator’s “descending red light.”

A crisp clang—the indicator shattered. The lift could now only ascend, never descend. No matter how desperately the zombies howled below, their fate was sealed.

As Long Zhan Xingye hauled Wu Hua onto the steel platform, both collapsed in exhaustion. But at last, they exchanged a knowing, triumphant smile.

System message:

“Survival Road mission complete. All surviving players receive +200,000 experience, +5 combat merit, +5 charm specialization, +1 luck point, and +1 bonus level. Repeat, repeat, Survival Road mission complete...”

System message:

“Honored player Baofeng, congratulations on leveling up! Current level: 22!”

“Congratulations on leveling up! Current level: 23!”

Wu Hua felt a rush of comfort from head to toe, unable to help but burst into laughter. +200,000 experience catapulted him straight to level 22, with an extra bonus level to boot. The merit and charm were secondary; the true prize was the luck point. Luck points were notoriously rare; besides boosting drop rates, they increased the odds of high-tier loot and brought countless other advantages. A single luck point on equipment at auction made it priceless. Now, with his own luck enhanced, Wu Hua grinned, “This is the real reward for finishing a mission.”

As the lift slowly rose, the long-lost blue sky and white clouds finally appeared overhead. The Qimen Corporation team had been anxiously waiting at the harbor, and when the last survivors emerged, they were greeted as heroes.

Thunderous cheers erupted, electronic confetti cannons blared, and colored streamers filled the air. Mr. Iron and Tina, along with other high-ranking officers, stood beside their BMWs, applauding with all their might.

Tu Tiao, clad only in bright red shorts, was the first to rush forward, grabbing Wu Hua in a bear hug. “Brother, I love you! I want to marry you! If you won’t marry me, I’ll beat you up!”

Ri Wan followed, lifting Long Zhan Xingye off his feet. “Ri, ri, I ri, I ri ri ri...” He kept “ri”-ing in his excitement, unable to say anything else.

The su20 team clapped their hands red, while the new reporter rushed from the respawn point to the scene, microphone raised high before the camera, shouting hoarsely, “We saw it! The last three survivors are from Qimen Corporation! Survived, survived! The great Qimen players have survived! At this moment, they embody the best traditions of Qimen! At this moment, they are not alone! They have ascended—invincible in theory! Long live Qimen Corporation!”

The cheers from the harbor shook the very sky.