Chapter 13: Don't Touch Anything Randomly

【System Notification: Unknown survivor detected inside the villa; alertness level is high. Recommend maintaining vigilance.】

Lin Chen gripped his shotgun tightly, staring at the man in camouflage on the stairs.

"Just passing through, looking for a place to rest my feet."

The man sized them up, his gaze lingering for a moment on Su Qing and Xia Nuan,

before returning to Lin Chen's gun: "I claimed this place first; you'd better find somewhere else."

"We'll only stay one night and leave tomorrow," Lin Chen said.

The man frowned, seemingly weighing the situation, then finally waved his hand:

"Don't touch anything randomly; leave at dawn."

With that, he turned and headed upstairs, his footsteps gradually fading into the end of the corridor.

Lin Chen let out a sigh of relief, gesturing for Su Qing and Xia Nuan to enter,

then shut the villa's main door behind him and slid the interior bolt into place.

【System Notification: Temporary safe zone acquired; danger level reduced to 10%. Brief rest permitted.】

The three found an empty room on the first floor, its floor covered in a thick layer of dust.

Lin Chen dragged the cart inside to inventory their supplies, while Su Qing found a cloth

to wipe out a spot to sit; Xia Nuan leaned against the wall, her complexion still somewhat pale.

"Rest for a while; we'll take turns keeping watch," Lin Chen said, handing the antibiotics to Xia Nuan.

"Take them on schedule."

Xia Nuan took the medicine and nodded.

Lin Chen leaned against the corner, closing his eyes, yet his mind dwelled on that man in camouflage—

judging by his movements and the way he held his knife, he didn't seem like an ordinary survivor,

but rather someone who had received training.

【System Notification: The unknown survivor is located in the second-floor area, showing no intent to attack; continuous monitoring in progress.】

After an indeterminate amount of time, Lin Chen was jolted awake by a faint noise;

looking up, he saw the man in camouflage descending from the second floor, a backpack in hand.

"I'm leaving; you two take care of yourselves."

The man tossed out those words, pulled open the door, and walked out; the door closed behind him,

emitting a dull thud.

Lin Chen checked the time; barely half an hour had passed since the man's appearance.

【System Notification: The unknown survivor has departed; only the host and their party remain in the villa. Safety level increased to 30%.】

"He's gone?" Xia Nuan woke up, rubbing her eyes.

Lin Chen nodded: "Yeah. I'm going out to check the situation and get familiar with the surroundings."

Su Qing stood up: "I'll go with you."

"No need; you two wait here. I'll be back soon," Lin Chen said,

rising and walking toward the door.

Xia Nuan suddenly called out to him, rummaged through her bag, and handed him a dagger:

"Take this; it'll be useful when encountering zombies."

The dagger was foldable, its blade razor-sharp.

Lin Chen took it and tucked it into his waistband: "This will suffice."

Xia Nuan then pointed at the shotgun: "Take the gun too; it's not safe outside."

Lin Chen shook his head: "Carrying a gun is too conspicuous; the sound of gunfire will easily attract zombies, causing more trouble."

He pulled open the door, turned back, and instructed: "Lock the door; don't open it for anyone."

【System Notification: Host venturing out alone; danger level increased to 60%. Recommend maintaining vigilance and avoiding areas dense with zombies.】

Lin Chen closed the door and slowly walked along the path surrounding the villa.

The villa district was very quiet, with only the sound of wind rustling through the leaves,

occasionally punctuated by zombie roars drifting from afar.

He observed the surrounding terrain: behind the villa lay a forest,

to the left flowed a small river, and to the right was the road leading to the city proper.

The geographical location was indeed excellent, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

After walking for about ten minutes, Lin Chen intended to head back,

but the corner of his eye caught a black shadow swaying at a distant intersection.

He halted, hiding behind a large tree to observe carefully—

it wasn't just a few zombies, but a dense, teeming horde,

slowly advancing toward the villa district.

【System Notification: Warning! Large-scale zombie horde detected; approximately 600 zombies moving toward the host's location. Distance: 1 kilometer. Estimated arrival in 5 minutes.】

Lin Chen's heart sank; even with a gun, six hundred zombies were impossible to hold back.

He turned and sprinted toward the villa, but the moment he started running, the zombie horde seemed to spot him;

suddenly accelerating, they charged forward with roars, the ground itself seeming to tremble.

【System Notification: Zombie horde has locked onto the host; speed increased. Estimated contact in 3 minutes.】

Lin Chen ran with all his might, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

He could hear the roars behind him growing ever closer,

He could even smell the rotting stench emanating from the zombies.

When they were less than a hundred meters from the villa, the leading zombies had already caught up,

stretching out their withered hands to claw at his back.

Lin Chen lurched sideways to dodge, and the dagger at his waist fell to the ground.

He had no time to pick it up; only one thought filled his mind: get back to the villa quickly.

Just then, a zombie lunged before him, mouth agape, biting toward his neck.

【System Notification: Host is about to be attacked by a zombie. Suggest using adrenaline to boost physical capabilities; otherwise, survival probability is below 10%.】

Lin Chen instinctively reached for his pocket, where another dose of adrenaline brought from the laboratory was stored.

He pulled out the syringe, without hesitation plunged it into his thigh, and forcefully pressed the plunger.

The fluid instantly injected into his body, and a surge of powerful strength welled up.

His muscles tensed, and both his speed and strength exploded several times over.

With a low roar, he grabbed the lunging zombie and shoved it back by sheer force,

causing the zombie to crash into its companions behind, knocking down a cluster of them.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Chen rushed through the final stretch, scrambling up the steps to the villa's main door on all fours,

pounding desperately on the door panel: "Open up! Open up quickly!"

【System Notification: Adrenaline effect ongoing; physical capabilities increased by 50%, but side effects will manifest in 10 minutes.】

The door was quickly pulled open, revealing Su Qing and Xia Nuan, both wearing expressions of panic.

Lin Chen tumbled inside, and Su Qing immediately slammed the great door shut, sliding the bolt into place.

The zombies outside instantly swarmed to the entrance, crashing frantically against the door panel,

emitting loud "bang-bang" noises that made the door shake.

Lin Chen leaned against the door, gasping heavily as the effects of the adrenaline began to fade,

a sensation of exhaustion washing over him like a tide; his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

【System Notification: Adrenaline side effects have triggered; host's physical capabilities are plummeting, vital signs are weakening, entering near-death state.】

"Lin Chen!" Xia Nuan and Su Qing cried out simultaneously, rushing to his side.

Lin Chen's face was deathly pale, his lips turning purple, and several scratch wounds inflicted by zombies on his body

were oozing blood.

Xia Nuan frantically rummaged through her backpack: "What do we do? He's fading fast!"

Su Qing's gaze fell upon the adrenaline syringe Lin Chen had dropped on the floor, and her eyes lit up:

"There's still this!"

She picked up the syringe, checked the residual fluid inside,

then rummaged through Lin Chen's backpack to find a brand-new dose of adrenaline,

and without the slightest hesitation, plunged it into Lin Chen's thigh, injecting all the fluid.

【System Notification: Secondary adrenaline injection detected; risk is extremely high, but vital signs can be temporarily restored. Side effects will intensify.】

A few seconds later, Lin Chen's body convulsed violently, and his eyes slowly opened,

his breathing becoming heavy and labored.

He pushed himself up from the ground into a sitting position, looking at the zombies still battering the door,

then glanced at his own wounds, his voice hoarse:

"Find... find some medicinal herbs and bandage me."

Xia Nuan immediately realized: "Could there be a first-aid kit in the villa?"

Su Qing nodded: "I'll go check; you two guard the door."

She turned and ran toward the second floor, her footsteps sounding exceptionally clear amidst the chaotic noise of the impacts.

【System Notification: Host has temporarily exited the near-death state, but the wounds carry a risk of infection and must be treated immediately; otherwise, symptoms of viral infection will appear in one hour.】

Lin Chen leaned against the door, feeling the vibrations transmitted through the panel,

knowing clearly in his heart that the appearance of these 600 zombies was no accident,

but rather seemed to be the result of someone guiding them here.

He looked toward the entrance, then toward the direction of the second floor; Su Qing had not yet come down,

while the crashing sounds from outside grew louder, and a crack had already appeared in the door panel.

【System Notification: Villa main door defense is about to be breached; remaining time 10 minutes. Please reinforce immediately or seek other defensive measures.】

Lin Chen struggled to his feet and said to Xia Nuan, "Go... go move a table to brace the door!"

Xia Nuan nodded, ran to the living room, and strenuously pushed a heavy solid-wood table,

shoving it toward the entrance.

Gritting his teeth, Lin Chen also stepped forward to help; together, the two wedged the table behind the door panel,

and the vibrations caused by the impacts lessened slightly.

Just then, Su Qing came running down from the second floor, holding a first-aid kit in her hands:

"Found it! There's gauze and disinfectant!"

Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief and was about to ask her to come over and bandage him,

when a loud crash echoed from the rear of the villa, as if something had been smashed through.

【System Notification: Detected breach of the villa's rear wall by zombies; a second wave of zombies has entered the courtyard. Danger level raised to 90%.】