Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

The bespectacled man adjusted his glasses, his smile unchanged: "I do have a small matter I'd like to trouble you with, brother."

As you probably know, this station has a lousy rule: if you leave for more than ten minutes and want to go back, you have to pay a 10-point "entry fee".

We brothers were in such a rush when we went out that we accidentally left some key pieces of equipment behind in the dorm.

Without the right tools, I really don't dare to travel long distances to deliver food.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "So I wanted to borrow some points from you, brother, to tide me over."

Once we get our gear back, we'll go out and run errands right away, earning double the points to pay you back! How about it? Want to do me a favor?

He spoke eloquently, but the other players behind him subtly shifted their positions, forming a semicircle that blocked Lin Yu's escape route.

Although they were smiling, the greed and threat in their smiles were undisguised.

Lin Yu couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Borrowing points? That sounds nice, but it's clearly highway robbery, and they're using such a lame excuse.

As for his statement about needing points to return to the battlegrounds, he wasn't lying. He knew that you couldn't easily return to the battlegrounds, since the main storyline of the game only required players to survive for seven days to return, with no other requirements.

And since the station is a safe zone, if there are no other requirements upon returning, wouldn't players be able to safely spend the seven days simply by staying inside the station? (This assumes that delivery limits are ignored.)

That's definitely impossible. It's written in the employee handbook that if a player leaves the site and comes back ten minutes later, they will have to spend 10 points.

This is probably to prevent players from returning to the site multiple times.

To Lin Yu's surprise, this group only asked for points, not equipment or other items.

Of course, Lin Yu was certain that they were not acting out of kindness; they most likely wanted to raise pigs (players who earn points to "lend" to them) so that they could steal other things in the final period.

After listening to what these guys had to say, Lin Yu was too lazy to say anything more. They were just a bunch of cowardly insects and good-for-nothings. Lin Yu was too lazy to waste his breath on them.

"Refine!"

Lin Yu didn't give the other party a chance to waste any more words. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and his left hand instantly formed a hand seal.

boom!

The Seven Subduing Demon Techniques of Qingshan Path - the Refining Technique - was suddenly activated.

A violent burst of crimson flames, mixed with dazzling arcs of lightning, erupted from his center, sweeping towards the seven or eight players in front of him like an instantly expanding inferno of fire and lightning.

"Hold!"

"Damn it! He attacked!"

"defense!"

The group of players clearly hadn't expected Lin Yu to be so decisive and ruthless, attacking without a word.

Exclamations and angry shouts erupted instantly!

The three players at the front reacted a little too slowly, or perhaps their equipment was too poor, and they didn't have time to make any effective defenses. They were instantly struck by the raging electric arcs, their bodies convulsing and paralyzed. Then they were engulfed by the crimson flames and turned into three writhing fire figures.

The other five, including the bespectacled man, were horrified and each used their own methods, such as activating shields, defensive items, or rolling backwards in a sorry state, barely managing to block the sudden area attack, but they all looked quite disheveled.

"Brother! It's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding..." As soon as Lin Yu made his move, the bespectacled man knew he had kicked a hornet's nest. In an instant, his face turned pale, and he hurriedly shouted to explain.

But Lin Yu couldn't be bothered to listen.

The moment the flames exploded, the Azure Rose in his hand already spewed out tongues of deathly fire.

boom! boom! boom!

The three gunshots rang out almost in a row, and three bullets imbued with demonic power accurately struck the heads of the three players who were still struggling in the sea of ​​fire.

puff...

Their heads exploded like rotten watermelons, their screams stopped abruptly, and the headless corpses swayed before falling heavily to the ground.

Clean and efficient! No dragging things out!

"asshole!"

"He killed the monkeys!"

"Let's fight him!"

The remaining players, seeing their companion die instantly, turned red with fear and rage, and roared as they launched their attack.

The bespectacled man was both shocked and furious. The fake smile on his face vanished completely, replaced by a ferocious expression.

He suddenly pulled an old-fashioned double-barreled shotgun from under his fur coat and fired a shot at Lin Yu!

boom!

A barrage of iron filings and metal fragments rained down on Lin Yu, accompanied by attacks from other players.

However, even when the attack hit Lin Yu, it only caused the pale blue [Mage Shield] in front of him to ripple slightly.

The shield blocked all the attacks without even touching the hem of his clothes.

The gap in strength between the two sides is too large.

"Go!" Lin Yu thought to himself.

The [Heavenly Cloak] that had been fluttering slightly behind him instantly transformed into a streak of blood-red lightning and shot out.

It was like a giant, living red python, nimbly flicking and coiling in the air.

*Smack!* *Bang!*

A rogue player attempting a flanking maneuver was struck in the chest by the cloak, his sternum instantly caved in, and he screamed as he flew backward, crashing into a wall of ruins and falling silent.

Another burly man holding a shield in front was tightly bound by his cloak, along with his shield.

He only had time to let out a terrified groan before the immense force caused his bones to crack and creak, blood gushing from his mouth, and he was clearly going to die.

The bespectacled man was terrified at the sight. He frantically loaded his shotgun while screaming, "Stop! We give up! We don't care about the points! Let us go!"

The other two surviving players had long lost their will to fight and shrank back, their faces pale.

But Lin Yu's eyes were as cold as iron.

Since we've already started fighting, there's no reason to leave anyone alive! Mercy towards the enemy is cruelty towards ourselves.

He moved with the speed of a ghost, dodging the second shot fired by the bespectacled man. His left hand, wielding the [Demon Sword], unleashed a black ghostly aura, instantly slicing across the neck of another mage player who was trying to escape.

A head filled with astonishment flew up.

At the same time, the right hand [Azure Rose] roared once more, piercing the heart of the last player who wanted to surrender.

In the blink of an eye, only the bespectacled man remained standing.

"No...don't kill me! You can have all my points! You can have all my equipment! Spare my life!" Seeing this, the bespectacled man completely broke down, threw away his shotgun, raised his hands, and begged for mercy with tears streaming down his face.

Lin Yu did not answer; the muzzle of the [Azure Rose] gun was firmly pointed at his forehead.

boom!

Gunshots rang out, and the pleas for mercy abruptly ceased.

A charred bullet hole appeared between the bespectacled man's eyebrows, and the body slumped to the ground.

Lin Yu flicked away the non-existent smoke from the [Azure Rose] gun, looked at the corpses strewn across the ground, and said indifferently, "I'm too lazy to waste words with you. Can't you just honestly run orders and deliver goods? Isn't it better to just try to survive in the game? Why do you have to take these crooked paths?"

He never liked wasting his breath on enemies while they were alive; he preferred to preach in front of their corpses, because then they couldn't refute him.

He began to skillfully loot the spoils of war.

Although these players aren't very strong, they still have some reserves.

Some game currency, a few low-level potions, some black iron and bronze level equipment, eight apartment keys, and 80 delivery points.

They didn't get many points, probably because not many players returned at this time, so these guys didn't manage to grab many.

After packing everything up, Lin Yu got on his electric scooter and drove towards the station gate, which was just a stone's throw away.

As he approached the gate, his phone automatically detected him, and a prompt appeared on the screen: "[Rider detected to have left the station for more than ten minutes. To enter, you will need to pay 10 points. Do you wish to pay?]"

"Pay," Lin Yu confirmed expressionlessly.

[Points -10]

The electric gate slowly opened, and Lin Yu drove his car into the relatively safe station area.

Upon returning to the station, Lin Yu's first action was to head straight for the single-story office building.

The reason is simple: he had previously spent 200 points in the points mall to buy a "super battery", but unexpectedly, it was not delivered directly to him. Instead, he had to go to the station's office area to "pick it up" himself.

It's so inconvenient. Lin Yu had a lot of complaints about it. After all, if the delivery could be made directly to his door, he wouldn't need to go back to the station. He could just change the battery outside.

Lin Yu grumbled as he headed towards the office area.

This time, the invisible barrier disappeared, and he entered smoothly.

The interior was simpler than I had imagined, even somewhat deserted.

Following the instructions in the mobile app store, he quickly found the [Storage Room].

A short, wrinkled dwarf with a long nose was dozing on a stool by the door.

Lin Yu stepped forward, his footsteps startling the dwarf. It looked up and asked impatiently in a high-pitched voice, "What are you doing?"

"Pick up the package." Lin Yu showed the pickup code generated after purchasing the [Super Battery] on his phone screen.

The dwarf squinted at it and muttered, "Wait."

Then it turned and crawled into the storage room.

A moment later, it came out carrying a heavy-looking metal box, about the size of a shoebox, and handed it to Lin Yu: "Here, your super battery. Also, according to regulations, we need to recycle the old batteries issued by the company."

It pointed to the battery on Lin Yu's electric vehicle.

Lin Yu had anticipated this, as it was written in the manual. After all, the electric vehicle and battery he was currently using were not actually his personal belongings.

He removed the old battery from the car and handed it to the dwarf, then installed the new "Super Battery".

hum...

The battery level on the electric vehicle's dashboard instantly jumped to 100%.

"Done!" Lin Yu patted the cushion with satisfaction.

With this battery that can last for 24 hours under normal circumstances, he can now freely deliver orders outside.

After obtaining the [Super Battery], Lin Yu did not immediately rush out again.

After thinking for a moment, he arrived at the apartment building, went straight upstairs, and returned to his room.

He closed the door, took out the eight [Apartment Keys] he had just looted from the group of players who blocked his way, and added them to the two he had accumulated before, making a total of ten keys, which he spread out on the table.

"Even a mosquito's leg is meat, let's see if these guys have any left over," Lin Yu muttered to himself, picking up the keys.

……

Lin Yu has a lot of experience in "confiscating property".

He was like a ruthless raiding machine, quickly moving between ten different players' apartments.

Most of the rooms don't have many items.

In the end, the harvest was barely worth mentioning. The game currency increased by about a hundred, along with a large number of miscellaneous items, some black iron and bronze level equipment and materials, and some strange electrical appliances and the like.

He piled all the spoils in his room before turning and leaving the dormitory building.

Lin Yu hopped on the electric scooter, turned the throttle, and drove out of the station gate again.

……

Soon it was five o'clock in the afternoon.

To his surprise, the order situation changed strangely after he left the site.

The order information on the mobile app has been refreshed again, and the delivery distance for each of these orders has become extremely long.

"Tsk, is this because I changed to a 'good car' and they're putting me under pressure?" Lin Yu couldn't help but complain.

He suspected that this was indeed related to the purchase of the "Super Battery," and that the system might have determined that he had greater battery life and the ability to handle long-distance missions.

Therefore, he only delivered three orders during that period.

Of course, these orders are not without their advantages; the "customers" and "merchants" of these long-distance orders seem to be more "rule-abiding".

Almost no one gives him a hard time, and as long as he delivers on time, they all give him a five-star review.

Meanwhile, because these orders are located over long distances, each one has a high base delivery points, up to 50 points. With a five-star review, the points double to 100 per order.

In addition, he also received some extra tips.

From this perspective, these orders aren't too bad.

[Notice: Dear riders, today's official delivery hours have ended. Thank you for your hard work. The station facilities will remain open for you.]

Please note that the risk factor for nighttime deliveries is significantly higher, so please carefully consider whether to work overtime to accept orders.

Wishing you a happy life!

"Sigh, I guess I really will have to work overtime voluntarily." Lin Yu sighed and muttered to himself as he looked at the notification that appeared on the software after 5 o'clock.

He completed a total of 7 orders today.

With this number of players, Lin Yu felt that his chances of winning the "Single King" title were extremely slim.

Other players, if they are willing to work hard and take risks, and are not as obsessed with getting five-star reviews for every order as he is, could potentially complete 8, 9, or even 10 orders.

Of course, Lin Yu also knew that most ordinary players would likely choose to retreat back to the site after completing the minimum requirement of 3 orders, prioritizing survival.

Only a few have the courage and ability to compete for the "Single King" title.

But even if it's only a few, a score of 7 is not a guarantee of success.

"Forget it, I'll think about working overtime later. I'll go check on my earnings after get off work." Putting the "Single King" matter out of his mind for the time being, Lin Yu took out the antique-style brass key he had obtained from the screaming lady from his backpack.

A "good thing" promised by a silver-level creature is worth the special trip he made.

I didn't go before because I was worried that doing my own thing during work hours might cause problems, but now that I'm off work, it doesn't matter anymore.

Open the map app on your phone, enter "13 Black Oak Street", and the navigation route will be generated quickly.

The distance is within an acceptable range.

Turn the ignition switch, and the electric vehicle starts again, heading towards its new destination.

About half an hour later, Lin Yu drove through several deserted streets, and the surrounding buildings gradually became old and gloomy. Finally, he entered an area called "Black Oak Street".

Most of the streetlights on both sides of the street were broken, and the few that remained emitted a dim and pale glow, barely illuminating the cracked road surface and the surrounding dead trees.

An indescribable sense of decay and chill permeated the air; even the usual roars of monsters became sparse and distant, replaced by a deathly silence and oppressive atmosphere.

"My benefactor, the yin energy here is extremely dense. It must be inhabited by a powerful ghost." As soon as Lin Yu drove into the street, Liu Xiangxiang, the sword spirit of the evil ghost sword on his back, warned him. Her voice was solemn.

"How strong?" Lin Yu raised an eyebrow and asked.

His spiritual senses could also perceive the unusual chill and gloom of this place, but not as clearly as Liu Xiangxiang's.

"I'm a little weaker than when I was completely controlled by Wang Xiangxian, but a little stronger than I am now. However, with your help, I can still manage," Liu Xiangxiang replied.

Lin Yu wasn't surprised by this assessment.

Before being refined into a spirit by Wang Xiangxian, Liu Xiangxiang was a pure vengeful evil spirit, devoid of reason and possessing only a killing instinct, making her naturally powerful.

Now that Liu Xiangxiang has regained some of her senses, although she possesses a silver-level stat panel, it's normal that her strength has decreased since she lost the support of that insane resentment.

The fact that the opponent's strength is somewhere in between indicates that their strength is still within one's control.

"I understand. Keep an eye out for me. If that guy gets close, remember to warn me." Lin Yu nodded, becoming more vigilant, but not overly worried.

He was confident he could handle a silver-level ghost.

Following the map, Lin Yu quickly arrived at No. 13 Black Oak Street.

It was a rather old-looking two-story Western-style detached house with a pointed roof and a small front porch.

Surprisingly, the cottage is remarkably well-preserved, with almost no damage to the walls, windows, or even the steps in front of the door, creating a stark contrast to the surrounding dilapidated ruins.

Lin Yu parked his electric scooter across the street and looked at the incongruous house.

"My benefactor, something's not right about this house," Liu Xiangxiang warned again, her tone even more wary.

"How so?" Lin Yu had also noticed something unusual. It was the only one on the whole street that was completely intact, which was the biggest problem in itself.

"The yin energy in this house is unusually strong; it's most likely the lair of that powerful ghost," Liu Xiangxiang stated directly, revealing her perception.

"Is that so?" Lin Yu stroked his chin, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

Silver-level ghosts... The [Soul Nest] effect of the Demon Sword can accommodate ghosts whose strength does not exceed that of the sword spirit itself.

Lin Yu had actually had some ideas when he encountered the screaming lady before, but he felt that the other party's strength was a bit too much and that Liu Xiangxiang definitely couldn't control her, so he didn't think about it.

But according to Liu Xiangxiang, this ghost lingering here is only slightly stronger than she is now...

"Perhaps... I could try 'hiring' a new employee?" An idea flashed through his mind.

If Liu Xiangxiang can suppress her opponent, her own strength will increase significantly.

"Is that guy home?" Lin Yu asked directly, while looking around at the quiet street.

"I couldn't sense its presence, so it shouldn't be here," Liu Xiangxiang replied after carefully sensing the surroundings.

Lin Yu nodded, and then did not hesitate.

He left one of his shadow clones behind to guard the electric scooter, while he quickly crossed the street and arrived at the door of the hut.

He tentatively twisted the doorknob.

Click.

The door was locked.

The key the screaming lady gave her was specifically for opening the basement; it obviously couldn't open the main door.

Without saying a word, Lin Yu took two steps back, took out the [Azure Rose], and roughly aimed it at the door lock.

Bang! Charged Shot 1 activated, and the specially made demonic power bullet easily destroyed the old-fashioned door lock, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

Pushing open the somewhat heavy door, a stale, cold air with a faint musty smell rushed out.

The interior was dimly lit, but one could vaguely discern that it was decorated in a typical old Western style. The furniture was covered in a thick layer of dust, and cobwebs were everywhere, making it look extremely dilapidated, a stark contrast to its pristine exterior.

Lin Yu didn't look around the living room much, and directly summoned several Black Iron-level ghosts: "Scatter and search for the entrance to the basement."

The ghosts quickly dispersed, searching through walls and floors.

Not long after, a ghost discovered an inconspicuous, low wooden door leading underground behind the stairs.

Lin Yu walked over and saw an equally old brass lock hanging on the wooden door.

He took out the key given to him by the screaming lady and inserted it into the lock.

Click.

With a soft click, the lock opened.

A colder, more earthy, and somewhat indescribable stale smell wafted out from the darkness behind the door.

Lin Yu took a flashlight out of his backpack, turned it on, and illuminated the narrow wooden staircase that led downwards.

He stepped down.

The basement was deeper than I had imagined, and the stairs creaked under the weight of the weight.

Lin Yu quickly walked down the stairs. The beam of his flashlight swept across the space, which was about 20 square meters in size. It wasn't big, but it was filled with all sorts of odds and ends.

The old furniture, stacked books, scattered bottles and jars, and some unidentified items wrapped in cloth were all covered with a thick layer of dust.

This place looks like a storage room that has been forgotten for many years.

Lin Yu began to search carefully. He moved the box, lifted the cover, and examined the bottles and jars, but after searching for a long time, he found nothing but dust and broken items.

"Strange, what happened to the good stuff that the screaming lady mentioned? Did that ghost take it?" Lin Yu scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.

Undeterred, he ordered the ghosts who had followed him to conduct a more thorough search, penetrating every possible hidden compartment or secret passage.

Sure enough, a ghost soon provided feedback: at the very back of the basement, behind a huge solid wood bookcase against the wall, there seemed to be a small space behind the wall.

Lin Yu immediately stepped forward, braced his hands against the heavy bookshelf, and pushed it with all his might.