Chapter 18: Receiving the First Mission—Class D!
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Hearing someone speak, Li Xingyue turned his head and saw a tall, heavily built man who did not look particularly intelligent. Two thin young men stood behind him.
With a lineup like that, wouldn’t the zombies tear them apart and spit them back out?
“Uh, forget it, brother. I’m a bit of a coward, and I’d definitely hold you guys back.” Li Xingyue rejected the man’s proposal outright.
The burly man had initially thought Li Xingyue looked like a suitable teammate. He had not expected him to be such a coward. Shaking his head with disdain, he led the two men behind him away to find another target.
More than a dozen people approached Li Xingyue afterward, all asking to join his team, but he turned them down one after another.
After everything he had experienced over the past two days, he was now wary of all unfamiliar strangers.
After all, one could never truly know what lay in another person’s heart. If people who knew nothing about one another formed a team and something went wrong, it would be difficult to rely on each other in life-or-death situations.
About an hour later, most people had found teammates they liked.
Li Xingyue was debating whether to form a one-man team for now and slowly look for suitable companions later when, glancing to the side, he unexpectedly spotted a familiar face.
It was Yellow Tooth!
When Li Xingyue had passed the preliminary test, there had been too many people around, and everyone had been extremely tense. He had not noticed that Yellow Tooth had passed the assessment as well.
That fellow certainly had plenty of luck.
Yellow Tooth was standing in a corner. Perhaps because he looked particularly shifty and was relatively thin, no one had invited him to join their team.
Should I go find him?
After thinking it over for a while, Li Xingyue stopped hesitating and walked straight toward Yellow Tooth.
“Brother, you look like a promising talent. Join me. Together, we’ll carve out a place for ourselves in this apocalypse!”
Yellow Tooth had been fuming inwardly. He had originally thought his handsome appearance would give him an advantage when looking for teammates, but who could have guessed that not a single person would approach him after all this time?
Just as he was thinking about that, he suddenly heard someone inviting him to join a team. His face lit up with delight, but when he looked up, he found Li Xingyue standing before him.
“Holy crap! You’re still alive?”
Damn it, why does this guy talk like some kind of Asura?
Li Xingyue had no time to bicker with him. “Enough nonsense. We know each other, at least. Let’s form a team.”
Yellow Tooth looked him over twice before nodding. “Sure!”
After discussing the matter, the two decided to look for two or three more teammates. After all, if they encountered danger, they would not even have anyone to use as a shield.
Unfortunately, the best time to choose people had already passed. In the end, they found only three other young men who were just as thin.
The five introduced themselves to one another.
Yellow Tooth’s real name turned out to be Zhang Dazhuang. He was twenty-seven years old, though Li Xingyue was still accustomed to calling him Yellow Tooth.
Only after speaking with the remaining three did they discover that the young men were triplets. At first glance, they had not looked alike at all, but after taking a closer look—
Holy crap, they looked even less alike!
The three brothers were named Liu One, Liu Two, and Liu Three. They were also twenty-seven years old.
“Who’s going to be the captain?” Li Xingyue asked, bringing up the most important question.
The three brothers glanced at one another and all shook their heads. Yellow Tooth also waved his hand. “I’m not interested.”
“Fine. Then I’ll be captain.”
Seeing their reactions, Li Xingyue said no more.
After the teams were formed, everyone was issued a black wristband.
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“Your basic information has already been entered into these. As for your team information, you’ll need to register it at the Zombie Hunting Bureau.”
[Day Five]
On this day, everyone was issued their basic equipment:
A communicator, combat uniform, a long saber, and a tactical pack.
Two people then arrived, briefly explaining how to deal with and identify zombies before leaving.
The entire five-day period had consisted of classroom lessons, but they had answered many of Li Xingyue’s questions.
Back in the dormitory, Li Xingyue sat on his bed and picked up the long saber from beneath it. The blade was extremely sharp, and its weight felt comfortable in his hand. Overall, it was quite satisfactory.
Yellow Tooth came over and sat beside him. “We’ll be assigned a mission tomorrow. I wonder what it’ll be.”
After the teams had been formed yesterday, the five of them had been assigned to the same dormitory.
Liu One picked up the conversation. “It’ll definitely be an E-rank mission. We’re all first-stage survivors, so the mission won’t be too dangerous.”
Li Xingyue nodded. “Yeah. Once we’ve eaten, everyone should get some early rest. We’ll need plenty of energy to complete tomorrow’s mission.”
The night passed without incident.
The next day, after everyone had eaten in the cafeteria, they heard an announcement over the broadcast and then made their way to the square.
“You may now activate your communicators. Several missions have been posted. Each team should choose one, after which you may depart.”
Everyone hurriedly took out their communicators. Sure enough, a red dot had appeared on the tiny screens, each no wider than three fingers.
When they tapped it, several lines of text appeared.
[E-Rank Mission]
Kill twenty first-stage zombies in the town southwest of Free City and bring back their crystal cores.
Mission Reward: 200 points + 20 experience
——————
[E+-Rank Mission]
Retrieve one vehicle in at least fifty-percent condition and two liters of gasoline from the town northwest of Free City.
Warning: Second-stage zombies may be present!
Mission Reward: 600 points + 60 experience
——————
[D-Rank Mission]
Mission Description: A third-stage zombie has appeared in the town west of Free City. Kill it and bring back its third-stage crystal core.
Mission Reward: 2,000 points + 200 experience
Li Xingyue stared at the three missions on his communicator in astonishment.
Wasn’t it said that newcomers could only take E-rank missions? Why were there E+-rank and D-rank missions as well?
He raised his head and looked at the others. “Which one should we choose?”
Yellow Tooth and the three brothers exchanged glances, equally uncertain.
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After discussing the matter at length, they decided that caution was best and chose the E-rank mission.
“Too many teams have accepted this mission. Please choose another mission.”
A mechanical female voice came from the communicator.
What the hell?!
All five of them cried out in shock. There was such a catch?
Apparently, everyone had chosen the E-rank mission, filling the quota and making it impossible for them to accept it.
Yellow Tooth was the first to react. He hurriedly shouted, “Quick, quick, quick! Choose the E+-rank mission!”
Li Xingyue immediately tapped the E+-rank option.
“Too many teams have accepted this mission. Please choose another mission.”
…
The mechanical voice caused all five of their hearts to sink.
Li Xingyue gave a bitter smile, swiped upward, and tapped the D-rank mission.
“Mission accepted successfully! The mission location has been marked.”
There were more than a thousand people in the square. Most were elated, having accepted E-rank missions. They picked up their equipment and prepared to leave.
A smaller number had accepted E+-rank missions and were making their way out with long faces.
Only Li Xingyue’s team remained completely motionless, every member looking as though they had been turned to stone.
A full ten minutes passed before Li Xingyue finally spoke.
“A third-stage zombie… It’s not that bad. We’re all first-stage survivors now, so our chances of winning are still quite high.”
The others looked somewhat less grim after hearing this. They then picked up and donned their equipment before heading toward the gates leading out of the outer city.
Li Xingyue glanced at his communicator and suddenly realized that the mission location seemed to be the same town where he had nearly died while traveling from Starsea City.
Damn it. Could it really be such a coincidence?
But if he remembered correctly, that place had been full of low-level zombies.
He thought about it for a while but could not figure out the reason. In the end, he stopped dwelling on it.
They soon reached the city gate. There, Li Xingyue spotted the older man who had tricked him when he first entered the city. The man was talking to someone and did not notice him.
Damn, you really love talking, don’t you? When I get the chance, I’ll send you off to chat with the King of Hell!
Li Xingyue ignored him. The five quickly passed through the gate.
Outside the city, they could see many teams heading out. They were mainly divided between two directions: southwest and northwest.
Not a single team was heading directly west.
Yellow Tooth covered his face. “Don’t tell me we’re the only team going due west?”
Seeing Yellow Tooth begin to despair again, Li Xingyue thought for a moment before putting an arm around the shoulders of the others.
“Gentlemen, don’t be afraid! As the old saying goes, the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish!”
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