Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 33 - 32 Duty Day

Chapter 33: Chapter 32 Duty Day

Lin Wu checked the time and it was eleven in the morning; he still lacked an hour and a half of system sleep time. Being rudely awakened made him feel uncomfortable both mentally and physically, but fortunately, his curiosity was strong enough that he got up and followed Stone to the backyard cliff.

Little Knife was fighting zombies on the highway by the cliff edge. Lin Wu questioned, "What?"

Stone said, "Look."

A zombie, with its arms raised, charged at Little Knife, but as it got closer, Little Knife grabbed the zombie’s forearm with one hand, pulled it backward while sidestepping to the left. The force used against the zombie made it fall to the ground. Little Knife then raised her right foot and stomped on the zombie’s neck, breaking it.

"Damn."

Another zombie came, and Little Knife repeated the move. Then three zombies approached, and Little Knife, unruffled, pulled them down one by one and then kicked them, breaking each with a stomp. The third zombie moved, resulting in not just a broken neck but its head being crushed under Little Knife’s foot like a burst watermelon, complete with sound effects. This made the two onlookers on the cliff get goosebumps and feel a tingle on their scalps, and they clenched their fists and gritted their teeth, exclaiming, "Aunt..."

Maya rode a bicycle over, had a brief chat with Little Knife, and nodded approvingly at Little Knife’s killing spree, seemingly very satisfied with her actions.

Unable to help himself, Lin Wu shouted, "Little Knife, what are you doing?"

Seeing Lin Wu and Stone, Little Knife waved happily and shaped her hands into a megaphone to reply, "I’ve mastered the strength system skill, ’Trample Execution’."

’Trample Execution’ referred to the entire process, with the first step being to pull down the zombie, costing 5% stamina. The execution was the second step, which also cost 5% stamina.

"She’s not crazy; she’s embarked on a path of no return."

Lin Wu didn’t know what to make of this skill. Given the equipment of most players in the base, they could handle zombies one-on-one with ease. Although their efficiency wasn’t as high as Little Knife’s, the skill seemed somewhat redundant. Lin Wu didn’t dare to make a judgment, since it was only a beginner skill, and who knew, perhaps with advanced skills, Little Knife could stomp and blow up all the zombies within a hundred meters?

Whether it was the head-stomping action or some bestial instinct that had inspired Little Knife, in the ensuing practice, she aimed every kick at the zombies’ heads, leaving Stone and Lin Wu continually gasping.

Lin Wu remarked, "I know Little Knife is awesome, but isn’t she a girl? Can’t she be a bit more gentle?"

Stone said, "You can’t say that, otherwise someone will ask you if there is a law or moral rule that stipulates girls must be gentle."

Lin Wu asked, "Then what should I say?"

Stone pulled a face and replied, "From my nearly forty years of experience, I can responsibly tell you, when faced with such a situation, don’t talk, don’t comment, don’t express opinions, just praise."

Lin Wu said, "But I have plans for Little Knife."

"Young man, in the adult world you only have the right to choose, not the right to change."

...

In the afternoon, feeling refreshed after enough sleep, Lin Wu got bored and went through the garbage in the warehouse, finding a few novels. The novels were mediocre at best, barely readable, which was a pity considering the stunning good looks of the author, whose name contained ’Shrimp’.

To Lin Wu’s surprise, Maya, who always thought only of work efficiency, actually rode a bicycle back with a deck of playing cards, which touched Stone and the other two deeply. The other daytime workers were in the warehouse, preparing to actually haul a 300-kilogram safe back home.

An hour later, Maya drove back with a car full of building materials and the safe. Stone had a bit of expertise in antiques and recognized at a glance that it was a pure mechanical safe, one of the earliest models marketed as a mature commodity. It had an outer ring that concealed the password and an inner ring that held the actual combination. The outer ring had only one number, like 20, for convenience. When locking the safe, the owner just needed to mix up the outer ring code. To unlock the safe, they had to return the outer ring to the correct position for immediate access. If one didn’t know the outer ring code and turned it incorrectly, it would trigger the inner lock, necessitating a reset of the inner combination.

Stone concluded, "Without the code, unless you resort to welding or cutting methods, even a bomb wouldn’t open it. Might as well use it as a table in the hall."

Maya said, "There’s also a walkie-talkie in the warehouse."

Stone immediately perked up, "I’ll take a look," and he trotted off to the warehouse.

Lin Wu asked Maya, "The walkie-talkie I found last night?"

"Yeah," Maya added, "But it’s out of power."

Lin Wu exclaimed in astonishment, "You are so malicious, giving Stone hope then ruthlessly snuffing it out."

Maya was taken aback, "I didn’t think that much."

While they spoke, Stone came back with a walkie-talkie, his face full of regret, "It’s dead." If the field agents had walkie-talkies, Stone would have had something legitimate to do. He could sit in front of the radio and chat with other bases, doing business or gossip with field agents.

Lin Wu said, "Tonight, Maya and I will go to the Sentry Card to take a look; Fungus Side should have its own generator."

Maya nodded and turned to Stone, "The rain hasn’t stopped all day; I told everyone to knock off early."

"Where are Snow Egg and Little Knife?" Only Horse Soul and Tangtang had returned with Maya.

"Working overtime."

Little Knife had become completely addicted, trampling over zombies again and again. Snow Egg, watching her Strength star rise but still unable to comprehend system skills, felt a sense of urgency. So the two of them went in search of stray zombies near the base for one-on-one practice to level up.

Maya was focused on the five apartment buildings and offered her opinion, "Stone, can we spare a few people to establish a sub-base in Apartment 1?"

Stone responded, "To create a safe zone and provide unlimited fire support?"

Maya confirmed, "Exactly. The base’s safe zone has a radius of 50 meters, which just so happens is the distance between the apartment buildings. But it’s a huge undertaking. Zombies have their own respawn mechanism; I suspect we can’t completely clear out a building of zombies."

Stone agreed, "That’s right, Dawn wouldn’t leave such a loophole. We might be able to occupy an apartment building, but definitely not an entire building. At best, we’ll get one floor, a safe zone for one floor. If we fire guns within the base, zombies nearby hearing the gunshots will rush into the base. If there’s only one floor as a safe zone, it’s utterly meaningless."

Lin Wu shared his thoughts, "Blind Bat guards Apartment 2; does this mean the weakness of Apartment 2 could be sneaking in at night?"

Maya was very interested in Lin Wu’s idea, "The enemy’s strongest point is also their weakest. Because of Blind Bat’s presence, we only consider how to attack Apartment 2 during the day. I support Lin Wu’s idea, but we need to kill Blind Bat first. Lin Wu, you can have the last seven shotgun shells, can you kill Blind Bat?"

Lin Wu replied, "We’re going all in; one of us has to die."

Stone hastily objected, "No, I don’t approve of taking risks. Right now our foundation is stable, relationships among personnel are harmonious. Instead of risking a bloody struggle with the enemy, it’s better to grow steadily step by step."

Lin Wu disagreed, "Playing a game requires a spirit of exploration and risk."

Stone questioned, "Aren’t you afraid of dying? This affects your points, and the points affect your life on Earth two years from now."

Lin Wu answered, "If we plan to stay here long-term, we can’t avoid Apartment 2. If we just cower, we’ll either die unnoticed like Cotton, or lead an insignificant life, earning just enough points for an ordinary life back on Earth."

Stone looked at Maya, and Maya said, "Everyone is still trying to figure out the game. Death is a common occurrence in the game. I care a lot about points, but I won’t shy away from danger."

Stone said, "I’m different..."

Lin Wu countered, "Of course you’re different. A middle-aged fat man with slow reactions, who’s of no help on patrol, and only wastes stamina with his heaving and gasping when fighting zombies. It would be irresponsible to send you out into this dangerous world alone."

Angered, Stone stood up, showing off his biceps, "I can fight too; I’ve increased my strength."

"Sure, sure," Lin Wu placated, sure that without a car, Stone wouldn’t have survived the trip to North Town.

Stone snorted and sat down, "Maya is in charge of the field operations; I don’t object. But I still advise you to think it over, Maya. No one can replace Lin Wu’s role in the base."

Touched, Lin Wu patted Stone on the shoulder, "Next time, I’ll try not to make fun of you."

Stone snorted, not looking at him.

Meanwhile, Maya said, "Yeah, I’ve got it in mind."