The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Survivors who descend from the cable car, regardless of which cable they're on, will automatically receive a loot box upon death, like a monster. But this corpse never received a loot box.

She is an indigenous person.

The original inhabitants of this city.

Su Mu squatted down beside the corpse, looking at her pale and peaceful face, and remained silent for a moment.

He wasn't shocked by the other person's identity... he had long suspected that there might still be indigenous people in the city. The military personnel were the best proof of that.

What truly shocked him was the other party's decisiveness.

From the moment she fired until her death, this woman wasted not a single second. She wasn't the kind of novice who lay in ambush for a long time, hesitating before making her move. She saw her target, judged the distance, drew her gun, and fired—all in one fluid motion, as natural as breathing.

If it were any ordinary person, or even a professional, this combination of punches could very well have succeeded if he hadn't been on guard.

Su Mu stood up, looking at the corpse on the ground with a gloomy expression.

He was careless.

Since landing in this city, everything he's encountered—monsters, survivors—has felt "slow." The monsters move slowly, the survivors react slowly, and even the giants' attacks seem to be slowed down in his dynamic vision. This prolonged "dimensional reduction attack" has unconsciously lowered his guard.

He didn't care. Anyway, no one could hurt him.

But these indigenous people are different.

Their fighting style was completely different from that of the survivors who came down from the cable car... ruthless, faster, and more unscrupulous.

What if it wasn't one person, but two or three; what if they weren't using a gun, but that Shadow Dagger; what if their target wasn't his head, but some other vital organ...

Su Mu did not continue thinking about it.

He stood up, carefully put away the items, took one last look at the corpse on the ground, and then turned and walked into the night. His steps were heavier, more steady, and more cautious than before.

He can be careless once, but he can't be careless a second time.

......

It took Su Mu half an hour to walk out of that commercial district.

He encountered more than a dozen giants of various sizes along the way. Instead of dealing with them casually as before, he deliberately slowed down, fighting as he went, and his experience points increased from 2,400 to 2,600.

The streets were quiet in the dead of night, save for his own footsteps and the occasional distant roar of a giant. The cold moonlight shone on the road, bathing everything in a silvery-gray hue.

He was walking along a riverside path when his communicator suddenly vibrated.

It wasn't the brief vibration of a public channel notification, but a continuous, urgent... private chat.

Su Mu opened the message and saw that the sender was Lin Yuwei.

The message consisted of only one line, with an additional coordinate and an item link.

"Help me."

Below are the attributes of an item.

【Wind and Rain Banner (Blue)】

[Type: Curious Item]

【效果：可在半径500米範围内小幅度控制天气。消耗诡石可召唤小雨（持续30分钟）、浓雾（持续20分钟）或微风（持续1小时）。冷却时间2小时。】

[Current available uses: 3/3]

[Energy replenishment method: Consume 50 Mystic Stones to restore 1 use.]

[Note: Can be used on the cable car.]

Su Mu stared at the few lines of text and frowned.

Lin Yuwei is calling for help.

Given that woman's personality, anything that could make her ask for help must be something serious. She's the kind of person who didn't utter a sound even when a foreigner shot her through the shoulder, but now she's proactively sending messages... which means her current situation is beyond her ability to resolve on her own.

Su Mu opened the map and compared the coordinates sent by Lin Yuwei with his own location.

The coordinates were in the southeast of the city, about eleven kilometers from his current location. The zoo's coordinates were to his southwest, about eight kilometers away.

The two coordinates don't overlap, but they're not on the same route either... To rescue Lin Yuwei, we'll have to take a detour of five or six kilometers.

Su Mu remained silent for a few seconds.

He glanced at the strange object's attributes... It could be used on cable cars and could summon light rain, dense fog, and a gentle breeze. Its combat value wasn't high, but in specific scenarios... such as needing cover for evacuation, creating cover, or watering plants... it had its unique uses.

But he didn't make the decision because of this strange object.

His relationship with Lin Yuwei wasn't particularly deep.

From initially scheming against each other and calling each other "shady businessmen," to later fighting side by side in the haunted house, to her taking the initiative to share information about the roulette wheel with him, being shot in the shoulder by a foreigner, and being willing to trade her valuable blueprints to him for free.

Although this woman is so shrewd it makes you grit your teeth, she is never an ungrateful person.

Su Mu memorized the coordinates, put away the communicator, and quickened his pace towards Lin Yuwei's location.

The night wind blew across the river, carrying the fishy smell of water and the scent of distant city ruins.

Behind him, the giants' corpses still lay on the street, their dark red blood gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

In the distance, towards the zoo, something is waiting in the darkness.

Further away, at the very edge of the horizon, the walls of Ash City gleamed with a cold, greyish-white light under the moonlight.

Outside the city walls, those overwhelming monsters are still there.

Siege.

No refund.