Chapter 171: Mission Complete
On the third day, Mu Lantu once again drove the off-road vehicle to linger around the base gate.
This time, the feeling of being watched was especially clear. Several gazes from different directions fell on him.
After waiting a while, no one approached. That meant the ones watching him weren’t Zhang Xinshuo and the others, but Blue Camp players.
Mutated hidden-wing bugs swaggered about in the sky. Mu Lantu’s heart tightened.
The Capital Base—survivors inside, zombies outside. With so many hidden-wing bugs gathering, sooner or later, a catastrophe would break out.
He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to leave the Capital Base as soon as possible.
He started the car, turned it around, and prepared to return to the hotel.
Three vehicles quietly followed.
“Boss, do we really have to follow him? What if he lures us into a zombie nest?”
“Yeah, he’s leaving just like that, so clearly Professor Deng’s family isn’t in the car. Isn’t it better for us to just wait at the base entrance?”
“Wait, my ass! Use your head. What if there’s a commotion and the base people come out to help them? We just need to kill the Deng family outside. As long as one of them dies, our mission succeeds. Once we get the system notification, we’ll instantly leave this copy world. Got it?”
“…Got it, but if that kid lures us into the Red Camp’s nest, we might not be able to handle it. If I’m not wrong, both Red and Blue camps should have the same number of players—nine each.”
They didn’t know Xu Huazhang was Blue Camp. In truth, each side had ten players.
“What’s there to be afraid of? The zombies are our helpers.”
“Brother Qiang, the car stopped!”
The glaring sunlight forced Li Ziqiang to squint before he saw ahead.
The off-road vehicle stopped at a hotel entrance.
“Stop.” Li Ziqiang didn’t dare get too close. “So this is their nest?”
He had already suffered twice at Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang’s hands.
The first time, he intentionally accepted a grandparent-grandchild pair into his team to use them as disguised natives. When the convoy stopped to rest, they were supposed to pretend to defect to Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang, then ambush the Deng family. But before he could act, Mu Lantu drove them out.
The second time, he deliberately brought along the Duan father-daughter pair, wanting to trick Deng Zhiqi away to kill him. He never got the chance.
The dirt mound blocking the highway wasn’t his doing—it was Zhang San and Li Si’s handiwork. He only met them after arriving in the Capital.
“This should be their base! I saw Mu Lantu go in alone—must’ve been scouting our Blue Camp situation.”
Song Hansheng’s words snapped Li Ziqiang from his thoughts.
Li Ziqiang quickly made up his mind: “Find a place nearby to lie low. We’ll act tonight. Smash their door open, lure the zombies inside. We won’t even need to lift a finger to kill them!”
The other players chimed in flatteringly.
“Brilliant idea, Brother Qiang!”
Li Ziqiang laughed. “When we’re out, just remember—each of you owes me 100 gold coins. Next time we land in the same dungeon, I’ll carry you through again!”
They weren’t thrilled but dared not protest.
“Yes, yes!”
*
That night, the hidden-wing bugs grew more frenzied, drawn to any crack of light.
Mu Lantu’s group was safe—he had personally made insect-repelling powder, sprinkled repeatedly along every window and door seam. Not a single bug dared approach.
But Li Ziqiang and his people weren’t so lucky.
The mutated large bugs couldn’t enter sealed rooms, but normal-sized ones and half-mutated ones had no problem.
“Ahhh!” Zhang San screamed, scratching his back. “It hurts! Something bit me!”
“Probably just a mosquito. What’s the fuss?” Li Si muttered.
“No! Mosquitoes don’t hurt this bad! Check!”
Li Si reluctantly shone his flashlight.
What he saw chilled him. “Shit! It’s a rove beetle! You crushed it!”
“What beetle?” Zhang San yelped as pain spread to his hand.
“Don’t you know? Hidden-wing beetles! They carry toxins. If you smash them, the venom causes dermatitis—sometimes even massive flesh rot!” Li Si rattled nervously.
Wang Wu cried out: “Me too! I got bitten! Is it rove beetles?!”
“Turn off the lights!” Li Si panicked. “They’re drawn to light!”
Li Ziqiang snapped, “We’re acting now!”
“But boss, without flashlights we can’t see…” Zhao Liu whimpered.
Li Ziqiang’s voice turned cold. “Open it.”
“I-I don’t dare!”
“You think I won’t throw you out to feed the zombies?”
Zhao Liu cursed himself silently and turned it on. The room lit up again, one man opening the door.
Li Ziqiang shoved Zhang San to lead. Only he could afford a pistol; with that in hand, no one dared resist.
But light drew the mutants. In the dark, the huge hidden-wing beetles surged toward the glow.
Across the street, Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang observed through binoculars.
“Huazhang, see that? Looks like they’re being swarmed.” Mu Lantu gloated.
“I see. Baby, you got any insect-attracting powder?”
“You asked the right person.” Mu Lantu pulled out a porcelain vial. “This beast-lure powder works on bugs too.”
“You’re stronger—can you throw it?”
Mu Lantu’s eyes lit up. Perfect. They wouldn’t even have to kill anyone themselves. If lucky, Li Ziqiang’s group might crawl to the base for medicine. If unlucky, they’d die to bugs or zombies. Frankly, university death might be the kinder end.
“Watch this!”
He hurled the vial. It shattered on the ground near them, powder bursting out, clinging to their clothes.
“What’s that?!” Li Ziqiang stepped back warily.
Zhao Liu’s flashlight caught the powder cloud. “Brother Qiang, it’s a bottle.”
“What’s with the smell…” Li Ziqiang’s unease deepened.
Dozens of “bees” darted into the light, smashing into them.
“Bugs! Bees!” Wang Wu screamed.
“Not bees! Hidden-wing beetles—mutated ones!” Li Si shouted.
The flashlight clicked off. Screams echoed.
“I’m bitten!”
“It hurts! AHHH!”
“It’s the powder! Get the clothes off!”
In the dark, zombies stirred awake…
*
Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang slept soundly. By morning, when they checked with binoculars, not a soul remained across the street.
“Professor Deng, after breakfast we’ll escort you to the base.”
“Wonderful!”
The Deng family beamed. Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang were equally glad—finally rid of Deng Zhiqi.
With the bulletproof vehicle clearing a path, the off-roader plowed straight through zombie crowds.
“Huazhang, you go first.”
Xu Huazhang nodded, used his leave slip, and vanished.
The Deng family didn’t even react—as if he had never existed.
Smoothly, they reached the base gates, queuing behind survivors.
“Classmate Mu!”
Zhang Xinshuo and Ma Yueyue rushed over excitedly.
“Finally found you!”
Mu Lantu smiled. “About time. I waited three days—don’t say I wasn’t loyal.”
“Not at all! Usually it shouldn’t take more than a day…” Zhang Xinshuo said hastily.
“What about Li Yangqiu?” Mu Lantu asked tactfully.
Zhang Xinshuo’s face darkened. “We stopped for fuel, got surrounded. He was bitten… we had to…”
Ma Yueyue noticed Xu Huazhang’s absence. “Where’s Xu Huazhang?”
“Went back first,” Mu Lantu said simply.
The thought hit them—could Xu Huazhang be Blue Camp? They knew of leave slips—items allowing early exit. That must be it.
Different camps, yet so close. Incredible.
“Wait!” A boy stumbled up.
Mu Lantu raised his gun.
“Don’t! Are you here for Professor Deng? Me too!”
“Credentials.”
The boy fumbled out a little booklet.
Zhang Xinshuo checked it and nodded.
Professor Deng frowned. Another of Mu Lantu’s colleagues? What poor timing.
Mu Lantu and the others made excuses and handed the Deng family over without following in.
“Congratulations, player. Mission complete. Reward: 4 credits, 800 gold coins. You may stay in this world for up to five days. Leave now? [Yes][No]”
Stay to get eaten? No thanks.
Leave!
The bell rang. One by one, students reappeared in the classroom.
Mu Lantu appeared by Xu Huazhang’s side.
“Baby, let’s go. Next class is in 804.” Xu Huazhang closed his book.
“Mm.” Mu Lantu reported, “Got a 400 gold bonus. I thought since I didn’t find an item there wouldn’t be one.”
