Free Web NovelChapter 99: Chapter 99: Do You Want to Cooperate With Us?
Zachary Pierce looked at Faye Yardley seriously. "Is it really that dangerous in there? Is now the right time to spend our points?"
Faye Yardley went straight to a bench by the door and sat down. "I was too wound up just now. Let’s rest for a bit. System, open the Point Shop."
[System Notification: Opening the Point Shop will halt all Dungeon progress. Are you sure you want to open it?]
Faye Yardley glanced at the others, then silently selected "No."
’The System is so stingy,’ she thought.
’It won’t even let us spend the points we’ve earned whenever we want. It’s not giving us a single loophole to exploit.’
"You guys should sit and rest too," Faye said. "Ever since we entered this Dungeon, we’ve only had a quick bite to eat. We haven’t had a proper rest." She even felt the urge to go back to that break room for a good, long sleep.
’I can’t help but think about things like a normal person.’
’I still have a long way to go before I can truly become one of the strong.’
Caleb Colby re-wrapped the Bandage on his left leg, then stomped his foot. "I’m good to go."
The others were also fired up, looking ready for a fight at a moment’s notice.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Faye Yardley felt her own blood stir.
She took a deep breath, stood up, and went to the door. As she’d expected, the special tattoo opened it.
The moment the door opened, a peculiar, sweet fragrance wafted out, causing them to feel dazed for an instant. They quickly recovered, thanks to the System’s protection.
"There really is something strange in here," Finn Ford couldn’t help but remark. "Now I believe what Yardley said about the System protecting us."
Faye Yardley gave him a strange look. "So you’re saying that all this time, you didn’t believe it was the System that was protecting us from the zombie virus?"
Finn Ford gave an embarrassed laugh before following Zachary Pierce inside.
Inside, it was still as bright as day, but there wasn’t a single soul in sight. Apart from the sound of their own footsteps, it was terrifyingly silent.
A loud CLANG made them all stop in their tracks and turn toward the source of the sound.
CLANG! CLANG!
The sound of something hitting a wall was immediately followed by the CLANKING of iron chains.
Zachary Pierce led the way, sword in hand. Around a corner, they soon came upon a room made of a special, transparent material, which gave them a clear view of the scene inside.
That was where the sounds were coming from.
Inside, several "people" were bound in iron chains.
There were men and women, old and young. The most conspicuous was a man in the center, who stood over two meters tall. His eyes were crimson red, and he wore a savage, man-eating expression.
The chains kept each of them confined to a small area, preventing them from even reaching one another.
An old man closest to the transparent wall was slamming his head against it. CLANG! CLANG! Neither his head nor the wall seemed to be damaged.
Who knew how many times he had repeated this futile act. frёewebnoѵēl.com
He would rest for a moment, only to begin again.
At the sight of the five of them, the "people" inside grew even more agitated, their struggles and thrashing becoming more violent.
Guttural, raspy sounds—"HURGH... HURGH..."—escaped their lips.
A sharp, crazed voice pierced their ears. "Let me out! I’m not a zombie! I’m not infected! Let me out!"
"HURGH! HAH..." The tall man let out a different kind of sound.
Gavin Donovan pressed himself against the transparent wall, peering inside. "Th-they’re... they’re still alive, right?"
"Yardley, would you say they’ve fully converted into members of the Zombie Clan?" Zachary Pierce asked calmly.
Faye Yardley shook her head. "I’m not sure. They don’t seem rational, and their eyes are still crimson. I’d say they probably haven’t fully turned."
Finn Ford carefully inspected the transparent wall, walking a full circle around the enclosure. When he returned, he turned his back to the wall and said softly, a note of worry in his voice, "I’m afraid this containment won’t hold them for much longer."
"Let’s check out the other areas first."
Next, they discovered experimental zones filled with various animals.
The conditions there were even more horrific than what they had seen in the human section.
Faye Yardley felt a chill run down her spine. ’Why would anyone conduct experiments like these?’
’Was the zombie virus really man-made?’
’Dr. Lynch... Yvonne Lynch...’
Faye Yardley really didn’t want to jump to ugly conclusions, but it was hard to stop her mind from going there.
CRASH!
ROAR!
BARK! BARK!
The transparent wall of one of the isolation rooms had shattered. The animals chained inside had broken free. Their limbs were bloody, and they stared at the group with a bloodthirsty, frenzied, and brutal gaze.
Without a second thought, Faye Yardley fired her Arm Crossbow the instant the animals charged.
But, surprisingly, these animals were far more agile than the zombies they had faced before. The Arrows couldn’t even pierce their hides, which made Faye Yardley’s brow furrow.
Meanwhile, Zachary Pierce had already raised his sword and engaged the animals in close combat.
His sword was massive and sharp, and he had the Strength to wield the two-meter-long greatsword in battle. Soon, the number of animals falling to his blade began to mount.
Although Faye Yardley’s Arrows couldn’t penetrate their hides, their eyes were still vulnerable. She had no problem sinking shots into their eyes or into their gaping mouths when they roared.
Moreover, her Arrows were a significant distraction for the animals, making it easier for her teammates to fight. freeweɓnøvel.com
CRASH!
CRASH!
One after another, more containment walls shattered, putting Faye Yardley and her team even more on edge.
A swarm of mutated white rats burst out, SQUEAKING, and charged from behind a broken wall, creating a huge problem for the five of them.
[The moment I put out my fire, I felt something attacking my raft from below. The system told me to repair it ASAP. The little bit of fuel I saved isn’t even enough to fix the damn thing.]
[Thanks for the heads-up, man. The fire in my Fire Pit is about to go out, and I was planning on trying to save fuel too.]
[Spent a night of passion with a Bunny Girl... damn, it was pure ecstasy... Ah! She’s... Save...]
[That’s terrifying. Did the Bunny Girl eat him? His name is grayed out, and the total survivor count is dropping. I wonder if he’s one of the recent deaths.]
[I shouldn’t have let my lust get the better of me. What do I do now? The Fox Spirit is already on my raft...]
[Bro, calm down. Didn’t the System tell us to handle the situation ’correctly’? Just pretend you’re entertaining an honored guest. Try to win her over with your utmost sincerity.]
[Everyone, be extremely careful about who you invite onto your raft. These Otherkin want the raft core! Without our rafts, we’re basically committing suicide out here on the ocean.]
[Sis, can you elaborate on how you know they’re after the raft core? Also, where even is the core? I can’t see mine.]
Eamon caught a hairtail, and Willow Yardley casually stored it in her backpack.
"Second Sis, there’s an Octopoid that keeps lingering around the raft. Should we go scare him off?"
Willow Yardley stared at Eamon, her gaze ice-cold. "Are you offering to go scare him? Or do you think I’m so terrifying that my mere appearance will send him fleeing?"
"Haha... Second Sis, don’t look at me like that. You’re scaring me. Just pretend I was spouting nonsense. I’ll... I’ll go tend to the plants."
The mutated white rats charged, but with an uncanny coordination, they avoided Faye Yardley and swarmed the other four men. As soon as they got close, they opened their mouths to bite with their sharp teeth.
"Are you going to cooperate with us? Your companions can’t hold out for much longer."
The sharp, crazed voice rang out again.
