While Wen Yu was oblivious to danger and capitalizing on an opportunity, a group had gathered at the side entrance of Riverside Park.
"Brother Tao, most of the zombies have been drawn away by that Big Lion. Should we go in?" a sleazy-looking young man whispered to the burly man beside him.
"Tsk, that Big Lion just now was terrifying. Itâs even gained monstrous power in this apocalypse. What were you saying?" The burly man, still reeling from the sight of the departing Simba, was clearly slow to react.
Behind them stood a pair of very similar-looking twins, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old. One held a crossbow, the other a homemade hunting rifle. Hearing their leaderâs nonsensical words, one of them massaged his forehead. "Brother Tao, weâre asking if we should stick to the original plan."
"Oh, oh, this is tricky, really tricky. What if there are more of those behemoths in the park? This is really hard."
The sleazy youth and the twins sighed heavily. Although they knew their leader was loyal and deeply valued camaraderie, his temperament... well, it was a real headache.
The twin with the crossbow ignored his leaderâs mumbling. He strode forward and, with incredible speed, fired three crossbow bolts, each accurately striking a zombie in the forehead. The Archerâs F-Class skill, Precision, ensured every shot hit its mark at this range.
The other two gripped the burly manâs arms and quickly followed. "I knew it," the sleazy youth muttered as they walked. "We shouldâve just made Wanping the leader from the start."
Hearing this, the burly man wrenched his arms free and dashed to the front of the team, his steel saber a blur of motion. Even the remaining Level 1 zombies couldnât withstand the keen edge of his blade or its immense power. The obstacles in their path were quickly torn apart.
"What are you little rascals thinking?" the burly man at the lead managed to call back, grinning even as he dispatched zombies. "You think I donât know? You just see that Iâm strong and full of energy, perfect for being a meat shield up front, and yet you dare talk about choosing a new leader?"
The other three acted as if they hadnât heard their captainâs grumbling. Wanping, with the crossbow, kept firing at approaching zombies. Wanâan, holding the hunting rifle, agilely collected the bolts embedded in nearby zombies. The sleazy youth, Lin Li, kept his neck hunched, carefully observing their surroundings while staying close behind their team leader, Guan Tao.
This seemingly discordant team rapidly cleared out the zombies, carving a path into the parkâs interior.
The interior of the park was eerily quiet. Once they had dealt with the zombies tailing them, Guan Taoâs group couldnât help but huddle together in the oppressive silence.
"Boss, dâyou think there are ghosts in here?" Lin Li shrunk his neck, tugging at Guan Taoâs sleeve.
"Ghosts? What ghosts could be more terrifying than that Big Lion? We came in here to snatch food from the lionâs jaws! Weâre not even afraid of death, so why would we be afraid of ghosts?" Guan Tao retorted sharply, even as he instinctively tightened his collar, clearly not as fearless as his words suggested.
"Brother Tao, you still havenât told us why weâre here in the park," Wanping asked, kicking away a zombie arm in disgust.
Once the four of them had somewhat adapted to the gloomy atmosphere, they cautiously proceeded deeper into the park.
"Weâre here for treasure, guys!!" Guan Tao squinted and whispered to his teammates.
The other three immediately shivered. Guan Taoâs expression was simply too much. Imagine a man, six-foot-three and weighing 220 pounds, speaking in a conspiratorial "Iâll tell you a little secret, donât tell anyone else, okay?" tone. You can guess how the other three felt. They fought back the urge to pummel Guan Tao.
Wanpingâs lip twitched. "What treasure?"
"Hahaha, brothers, thatâs something you wouldnât know." Guan Tao laughed triumphantly, pulling a crumpled soft pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket. He handed one to each of them. Lin Li, ever observant, quickly produced a lighter and lit cigarettes for his teammates.
PHEW.
Guan Tao leisurely exhaled a smoke ring. Seeing their expectant gazes, he said smugly, "Alright, since thereâs nothing else around, your big brother will tell you all about it."
"Come closer, come closer. Take a look, what do you think this is?"
Guan Tao pulled a pendant from around his neck. The three immediately leaned in, carefully examining the mysterious little object. On closer inspection, the pendant hanging from the chain was clearly a small, compass-like device. Its needle pointed resolutely towards a spot not far in front of them.
Guan Tao declared with a wide grin, "This, my brothers, is something I, your big brother, found in a silver vortex before I met up with you. You werenât there! Inside that vortex, there were dozens of those giant animals, like cats, dogs, rats, rabbits... even a huge tiger! It was terrifying!"
"But just look at your big brother, me!" Guan Tao heavily emphasized the "me."
"My steel saber skills were flawless, impenetrable! Like a war god reborn, unstoppable by ten thousand foes! I sent them flying with a single kick..."
The more Wanping and the others listened, the stranger it sounded.
This guy is bullshitting, isnât he? Heâs definitely bullshitting.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Wanping hurriedly cut him off. "Weâve known each other for years. Donât you know what youâre like? And you think we donât? Get to the point!"
"The point is, my steel saber..."
Seeing the murderous glares from the three, Guan Tao wisely shut his mouth.
"Alright, alright. Basically, I went into a silver vortex, saw a broken box, found a crappy compass inside, and then I brought you guys here," Guan Tao said aggrievedly, holding out the hand with the compass.
Wanpingâs eyes gleamed. He snatched the compass from Guan Taoâs hand and began inspecting it closely.
"Hmm, itâs pointing directly this way. If Brother Tao isnât exaggerating, this might actually be a treasure."
They had advanced less than ten meters when Wanping, seeing the compass needle begin to swing erratically, announced, "The pointerâs going wild! We must be close!"
"Really? Is there actually treasure? Quick, let me see!" Hearing the word "treasure," Lin Li immediately rushed forward and snatched the compass.
"That is, if Brother Tao wasnât bullshitting," Lin Li added, shooting a disdainful look at Guan Tao.
Guan Tao retracted his neck and turned his head, mumbling something under his breath.
"This item probably appeared after the apocalypse, like the Stone Pillar," Wanping said. "Whether itâs a blessing or a curse is still unknown. Treasures arenât usually easy to obtain."
Wanping remained calm. Seeing Lin Liâs money-grubbing expression, he quickly dampened his enthusiasm.
"I knew it." Lin Li reluctantly stuffed the compass back into Wanpingâs hand. As the one who had been the brains of their group since they were kids, Lin Li had a lot of faith in Wanpingâs judgment.
"But we canât just leave it, right, Big Bro?" Wanâan said, looking teasingly at Guan Tao. "Besides, Brother Tao supposedly snatched this back from countless monsters."
Guan Tao shot Wanâan an irritated glare.
"I didnât say weâd ignore it. We just need to be cautious," Wanping replied calmly, carefully examining the compass in his hand.
"Hey! Have you all just decided amongst yourselves? Wasnât it agreed that Iâm the captain?" Guan Tao protested indignantly.
Wanping looked at Guan Tao earnestly and said in an exceptionally solemn tone, "As captain, all you need to do is take the lead and charge ahead."