C5 And Companions!

Yan Cheng rolled his eyes and muttered, "My fault for not asking."

Under his breath, he grumbled, "Is this really a system assistant? It seems more like it's here to mock me than to help."

"Please have no doubts, Lord. I truly am the system's assistant!"

"From now on, unless I reach out to you first, don't go snooping around in my thoughts, okay?"

"As you wish!"

Upon reaching the fifth floor, Yan Cheng discovered it was completely deserted.

Despite the absence of zombies, Yan Cheng remained on high alert, meticulously inspecting each room.

He also scavenged for food, conserving his limited energy.

After a thirty-minute search, Yan Cheng realized there were few snacks to be found; not everyone stocked up on provisions in their dorms.

Following a brief pause, Yan Cheng headed down to the fourth floor. He had barely descended two steps when he spotted a zombie on the staircase, prompting him to quickly backtrack.

Even though Yan Cheng had retreated swiftly, the zombie had taken notice and staggered after him.

Yan Cheng ducked into a random dorm, hoping to trap the zombie inside. Suddenly, two more zombies appeared and joined the pursuit.

"Throwing such a tough challenge at me all at once seems a bit unfair, doesn't it?" he quipped.

Yan Cheng found a room and hastily scattered the stools around before arming himself with a kitchen knife, ready for the confrontation.

The first zombie stumbled in and tripped as expected. Yan Cheng pinned its hands down with two stools and then split the zombie's head open with the knife.

There was no time to extract the crystal core; he had to get up quickly as the other two zombies were closing in.

The pair, having witnessed the brutal demise of their ally, let out ghastly howls. They tried to enter side by side, but ended up getting stuck in the doorway.

Yan Cheng realized that while the zombies couldn't advance, he was trapped as well.

The old adage "two hands can't beat four" came to mind. His chances of breaking through the main entrance were slim. What was he to do?

Yan Cheng smacked his forehead and exclaimed, "I can just climb the balcony!"

He made his way from one dormitory balcony to the next, sneaking up behind two zombies. It was a flawless plan.

Once a normal person became a zombie, they still had to adhere to human joint mechanics!

Thinking this, Yan Cheng picked up the crystal core from a fallen zombie and headed to the balcony.

Meanwhile, in the female dormitory across from his, someone spotted Yan Cheng scaling the balcony.

"Look, there's someone climbing the balcony over at the guys' dorm!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look where he was pointing.

"Who would dare to climb around at a time like this?"

"It's quite a distance. If only we had a telescope."

"A telescope?"

"We do have one!"

Huang Qiu rummaged through a nearby cabinet and pulled out two telescopes, handing one to Lang Zhe. She knew him best in these parts.

"Hey, it's Yan Cheng! He's still alive!" Huang Qiu couldn't hide her excitement.

"What? Cheng?" Lang Zhe quickly peered through the telescope and confirmed it was indeed Yan Cheng.

"Fantastic! He's alive. We've got to let him know we're here!"

Huang Qiu nodded, tore down the bedsheet, and with a marker, wrote large letters on it before carefully hanging it outside the window.

"But he might not see the banner," Huang Qiu fretted after completing the task.

Lang Zhe glanced up at the sky and said, "You girls must have mirrors, right? Hand me one."

Immediately grasping his intent, Huang Qiu fetched two mirrors. They were on the sunny side, so the sunlight could shine straight through.

Yan Cheng was cautiously navigating the balcony when suddenly two white patches startled him, nearly causing him to fall.

Once he made it across, he realized the white patches were reflections from the female dormitory.

"People are still alive! That's amazing!" At that moment, Yan Cheng also noticed the large banner across the way. He pulled out his telescope from his backpack.

"Cheng, find a chance to come over. Lang Zhe is here!"

Yan Cheng read the message and joyfully said, "I didn't expect Lang Zhe to be alive too. That's fantastic! Though the message on the banner is a bit ambiguous!"

Upon learning that someone was still alive, Yan Cheng felt a weight lift off his chest, even if just slightly. What's more, the company of his good friend buoyed his spirits considerably.

Yan Cheng gestured with a wave and nod to the two individuals, confident they could see him, then he left the dormitory.

He approached the two zombies from behind. Dispatching zombies was simplest this way. Although the zombies tried to turn and attack, Yan Cheng had them under control.

Moments later, Yan Cheng had secured two more Level 1 Crystal Cores.

"If only killing zombies were always this easy!" he mused, examining the Crystal Cores in his hand.

He was eager to reunite with Lang Zhe for two main reasons. First, humans are social creatures by nature, always seeking the company of others, with a few exceptions. Second, with Lang Zhe at his side, his efficiency in eliminating zombies would surely increase, accelerating his progress in the game and solidifying his standing in this post-apocalyptic world.

Upon returning to the fourth floor, Yan Cheng found it deserted. He scoured the area once more but encountered no zombies. Such was the nature of low-probability events. His backpack was now brimming with food, and he carried an additional bag of provisions.

Yan Cheng paused on the second floor, aware that the first floor was sure to have zombies, as was the space between the two dorm buildings. This predicament vexed him.

At two in the afternoon, just as Yan Cheng felt completely stumped, a noise from outside caught his attention. He cautiously peered out the window to investigate.