CHAPTER 7

The number of people guarding the basement was surprisingly few. Tang Yu didn't know if it was because the camp was short-staffed or if they didn't have any defenses against the three of them. The entire basement only had that one heavily armed man.

"Behave yourselves." the man said as he made a round in front of the iron cages, threatening them with authority. Afterward, he sat on a broken chair and rested.

Jin Ye muttered a couple of words, but in Tang Yu's ears, it sounded like a question about the timing of their actions.

"Not yet, we'll act tonight." Tang Yu replied.

After that, the three zombies in the cages remained motionless. After about half a day passed, someone brought an iron lunchbox and handed it to the guard before leaving.

Tang Yu looked beyond the man's arm and saw the food he took out. It wasn't the white porridge and steamed buns from the daytime square, but a meat roll pancake.

This was the apocalypse, yet they were eating quite well.

The sound of chewing food filled the air, and the man relaxed, slumping his shoulders and appearing very leisurely.

He clearly dealt with zombies frequently and knew that these creatures were just NPCs who didn't use weapons. The most common attack method was close-range scratching and biting. Currently, these three zombies were locked in iron cages, posing almost no threat as long as they maintained a safe distance.

As confirmation, in between chewing his food, he still glanced at the three of them. Seeing the three zombies staying quietly in their cages, not making any noise, his guard was lowered to the minimum.

"What an easy job. Other brothers are still struggling outside. Tsk, just a bit low on points." the man played with a piece of metal in his hand, humming contentedly.

The basement had no windows, so Tang Yu didn't know the exact time. However, when the person came to deliver the food, Tang Yu caught a glimpse of the dark sky through the slightly ajar door.

The time had come. Tang Yu calmly drew out Jing Long, even adjusting the angle carefully. Then she squinted, aiming at the side of the man's head.

In the next moment, with a flick of her wrist, a silver light spun out from the gap in the iron cage, drawing a beautiful arc and piercing directly into the man's neck.

Blood splattered, and the heavy object fell with a dull thud, but no one outside the basement noticed. The man on the ground clutched his neck, looking at Tang Yu's direction in terror. He never understood how a zombie could use a weapon!

"Yes, it was me." Tang Yu waved her hand in response to the man's gaze, curling up her lips.

Ding. 

The notification sound that only Tang Yu could hear rang again on her wrist, indicating that she had earned another 10 points.

Jian Wu, inside the cage, instinctively trembled. It seemed that Tang Yu's promise not to kill anyone was indeed a lie.

"If you kill him, how are we going to get out?" Jian Wu asked.

The lock on the iron cage was a sturdy padlock with a spiral design. Without any weapons in their hands, it would indeed be difficult for the three of them to escape, especially since Tang Yu had thrown Jing long away.

"If we don't kill him, it'll be even harder for us to get out." Tang Yu retorted bluntly. She then forcefully twisted the iron lock, causing a clattering sound as the lock hit the iron cage.

It seemed that violent destruction was not a viable option.

As the two of them were worrying, a sudden crisp sound of "click" echoed through the air. Tang Yu turned her head and saw that the lock on Jin Ye's cage had opened on its own.

Jin Ye raised a small object in her hand and said, "A hairpin lockpick, a must-have for everyday use."

"You have quite the skill in lockpicking. It seems you've had your fair share of mischief." Tang Yu chuckled.

"You have a unique way of praising people, but thank you." Jin Ye replied. She swiftly opened Tang Yu's lock, and when it was Jian Wu's turn, Jin Ye hesitated for a moment.

Tang Yu pulled Jing Long out of the man's body and wiped off the bloodstains on his clothes. She stood up and handed the recovered submachine gun to Jin Ye.

"What's wrong? Don't want to release Jian Wu?" Tang Yu asked.

Jian Wu panicked upon hearing that. "No, don't leave me here. Another guard just died. I might end up being dissected."

Jin Ye pondered for a moment and helplessly said, "You refuse to reveal information about the camp, and you have no combat ability. It would be burdensome for us to bring you along to save a person."

Jian Wu choked for a moment and said, "I know you're mocking me. I understand the formality. They only want to kill me now, and it's meaningless for me to protect them." His gaze darkened, and he continued, "I can lead the way, but on one condition: Don't harm the weak, and don't harm the logistics team. After all, they are people I know."

Tang Yu smiled. "I didn't expect you to be quite righteous. But really, do you see me as some bloodthirsty demon? Do I look like that kind of person?"

"You look like a zombie." Jian Wu replied.

With Jian Wu's promise, Jin Ye skillfully unlocked the cage. At the same time, she couldn't help but wonder to herself. Jian Wu was still immature in his thinking, acting only based on friendship without understanding the consequences. She didn't know how he managed to survive until now.

After unlocking the cages, the three of them didn't rush to leave the basement. Jian Wu briefly explained the layout of the camp. There were approximately three hundred people in the camp, with the front rows occupied by the vanguard and management personnel, as well as those with special skills, such as researchers like Zhou Zhou, as well as electricians and plumbers.

The middle two rows of partially collapsed buildings housed the survivors who had accidentally sought refuge in the camp. They usually had no combat ability and low points. They were responsible for daily tasks that kept the camp running, such as the logistics team where Jian Wu worked, who resided in the middle two rows of buildings.

The last two shabby bungalows housed some hostages, some of whom were bargaining chips for negotiations with the opposing camp, while others were used as bait to attract zombies. The person Jin Ye was looking for was most likely at the back.

Their current location was unknown to Jian Wu, as he had never been to this basement and was unfamiliar with it.

Tang Yu exclaimed, "This camp is quite sizable and has clear divisions of labor. How long has it been established?"

"I don't know. I came here three months ago." Jian Wu replied.

"What kind of person is the manager?" Tang Yu asked.

Jian Wu shook his head again. "I don't know. I haven't seen them, and no one knows the true identity of the manager. People only talk about it privately, saying they're an eccentric and crazy person."

Tang Yu made a sound of surprise but didn't inquire further.

The three of them continued to search around the basement. In the space under the stairs, they found some discarded tablecloths that had turned dirty gray and lost their original color.

There were also some empty iron cages in the basement, but apart from that, there was nothing else. Tang Yu wondered, "I thought this place would be holding a lot of strange things."

"Zombies? During my time here, the three of us were the only zombies to enter the camp. Other zombies are taken care of and destroyed by the wire fences." Jian Wu explained.

"I didn't mean zombies. It could be something else, like other humans. Look, there are specially prepared iron cages in the basement. They don't look like they've been unused for years." Tang Yu pointed out.

Jian Wu paused for a moment upon hearing this, a strange expression appearing on his face.

"What's wrong?" Jin Ye keenly noticed this.

Jian Wu hesitated for a moment, sighed, and then said, "This camp is not as peaceful as it seems. There is a strict hierarchical system here. It is said that if you offend the manager, you'll be sent here."

"Oh, that's not surprising." Tang Yu said. She had just noticed that the people receiving porridge in front of the open-air stage didn't eat as well as the guards, whose attire was clearly better. In this camp, strength was highly respected, which was normal in a post-apocalyptic world.

"Brother Li said that those who are sent here are often disobedient weaklings, even though they haven't done anything wrong."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yu instinctively tightened her grip on the knife handle.

"What do you mean?" Jin Ye's calm eyes revealed a hint of killing intent.

"I-I just heard," Jian Wu took a step back before continuing, "In the game set in the ancient Earth background, it seems that there is a difference in physical strength between men and women. The male characters tend to have slightly higher stamina than female characters when they first enter the game. Many people only discover this after entering the game."

"This has triggered the underlying flaws in some people's nature. Once they have the upper hand, they immediately occupy the survival space of women and the weak. They go out to kill zombies and earn more points, while those players who lack physical strength and are left behind can only obtain basic points through fragmented tasks. As a result, the wealth and physical gap grows larger and larger, and the weaker groups are treated unfairly in terms of resources and status, which are suppressed."

"Don't people feel it's unfair and want to leave the camp?" Jin Ye asked.

Jian Wu smiled bitterly and replied, "Leaving the camp is not an option. Once you come to this camp, you can't expect to leave. Many newcomers who sought refuge here didn't know this and attempted to leave. They become the vanguard's points and are directly eliminated."

Jin Ye looked at the empty cages with anger. "What about the oppressed people?"

"Some chose to leave, as in ending their lives and quitting the game, but there were also unsuccessful suicide attempts. Some chose to obey the manager, accepting the dirtiest, most exhausting tasks with no points. Perhaps they still hold onto the hope of retaliating, but it's a slim chance. Points in the camp represent status, and the weak are trapped in a vicious cycle."

"I was curious before. Players can also gain points by fighting each other, but this camp seems so peaceful. It turns out they are suppressed by the powerful." Jin Ye pondered.

Tang Yu squinted her eyes and observed Jian Wu, sensing a dangerous signal. She tentatively asked, "You're also a male. Aren't you benefiting from this situation?"

Jian Wu felt somewhat embarrassed and replied, "What you said is not wrong. I did secure a logistics position because of my strength, and I'm living relatively well. But it doesn't mean I agree with this approach. In the interstellar world, gender equality is relatively balanced, but here, there's a sense of order collapsing."

It was not just the collapse of order, everything here was in chaos.

Tang Yu withdrew her piercing gaze and remained silent.

This place was not suitable for staying long. Tang Yu cut three pieces of tablecloth, wrapped them around their necks, partially covering the lower half of their faces. "Let's disguise ourselves. We're ready to go out." She threw the other two pieces of cloth to Jin Ye and Jian Wu, then led the way up the stairs.

"You look suspicious, like a thief." Jin Ye remarked.

"Suspicion can make enemies hesitate, instead of shooting as soon as they see us." Tang Yu replied.

The door to the basement was locked from the outside, but it was a wooden door. Tang Yu chopped it a few times, and the sharp blade created a gap.

The noise caused by this drew attention, but there was no sound of people outside. It seemed they were truly confident about locking the three zombies inside.

Jin Ye reached out through the gap and skillfully found the lock, opening it blindly. The three of them cautiously stuck their heads out and glanced outside under the moonlight. Jian Wu quickly recognized the surroundings.

"Ah, it's in this corner. On the left is Professor Zhou's research lab, and on the right is the vanguard's barracks. No wonder they can confidently leave us here. We can't get out of this alley. There are guards on both sides."

"Is there no other way?" Tang Yu asked.

"No, there isn't."

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