Unfortunately, the man wasn't intimidated by the crossbow at all.
He kept approaching Chu Yian, who decisively pulled the trigger. But the man was incredibly agile—he twisted his body and dodged it, the bolt only grazing his arm slightly.
He caught her!
He was strong—much stronger than Chu Yian. With just one hand, he pinned her wrists together, and with his knee pressed against her waist, forced her against the wall.
To anyone looking, their position seemed almost intimate, like he was about to kiss her—if only he weren't holding her own bloodstained crossbow bolt to her throat.
The razor-sharp tip pierced her delicate skin, and blood contrasted vividly against her pale neck.
Then—
A golden chest, embedded with gems, suddenly materialized and slammed into the man. He reflexively raised his arms to block it, but the chest—weighing nearly a thousand pounds—shoved him violently into the wall.
A huge chunk of solid gold?!
Everyone except Chu Yian stood frozen in shock.
"What are you waiting for? Run!"
Her low voice rang beside Youche's ear, and he hurriedly followed her lead.
"White Bro!"
The others upstairs finally snapped out of it. But rather than chasing Chu Yian and Youche, they were more concerned about their leader.
The two of them made it out of the building. Seeing no one coming after them, Youche panted and gestured in disbelief,
"Chu… Chu girl, that fancy box of yours…"
Wasn't that the personal storage space she'd mentioned? Did she just leave it behind like that?
She didn't.
Chu Yian had tested it—once the box was more than 200 meters from her, it would automatically revert to icon form and return to her palm.
"Where's the car?" she urged.
Hearing this, Youche rubbed his hands together. Time to shine. A bit nervous about his first "performance" in front of a teammate, he silently prayed for something decent.
And then—a sleek, flashy sports car materialized in front of them. The best vehicle he'd ever drawn in-game: an Aston Martin.
His anxiety vanished, replaced by pure pride.
"Miss Chu, after you."
Chu Yian paused at his sudden switch in tone from "Elder Chu" to "Miss Chu." She gave him a glance, climbed in, and fastened her seatbelt.
As the car pulled away from the complex gates, she finally spoke:
"Stick with 'Elder'—sounds better to me."
Youche's hands slipped on the wheel. What kind of kink is that?!
Meanwhile, back in the stairwell.
By the time Chu Yian left, the golden chest had already disappeared. Bai Sinian, who had just had the thing crushing his leg, watched it vanish. The part of his leg that had been trapped was now gushing blood.
He stared at it like it wasn't even his own body, then started laughing—something twisted and sick in his expression.
The eight-man squad actually had a doctor, and someone quickly tended to his wound. Another member was watching the street through a window.
"White Bro, they drove off!"
Bai Sinian looked over at the backpack left behind on the stairs and motioned to a subordinate.
"Bring that to me."
The underling scurried over and picked it up.
Bai Sinian dumped out the water and food inside, then found three maps tucked at the very bottom. One was a world map—neatly folded. Another was a local city map. The third, a national map, was covered with scribbles and notes, and a red, winding line stretched from their current city all the way to X City.
In the corner, there were three words: Asidimi Mountains.
What was this?
A map of the survival zones?
Bai Sinian chuckled.
Interesting. Very interesting. He hadn't expected those two players to figure out the route to a survival zone so quickly.
He thought about that girl—clearly terrified, but still trembling as she tried to shoot him. The more he thought about her, the harder he laughed… until suddenly, his expression turned cold.
CHUA—
He stabbed Chu Yian's abandoned crossbow bolt into the wall beside him with such force that the tip embedded several inches deep.
Next time he saw her… he'd crush her into pulp.
Chu Yian had no idea she'd caught the attention of a psycho.
She was busy dressing the cut on her neck with gauze and bandages.
This escape had cost her dearly.
She'd only had 10 bolts to begin with—now she'd lost 3. Her route map had been in the backpack—handed over for free. On top of that, they'd lost some supplies too.
Thinking about that man who nearly killed her, she couldn't help but curse:
"Bastard!"
"Huh?"
Youche glanced over while driving.
"Don't leave the city just yet," Chu Yian instructed.
She scanned the nearby streets, trying to remember where she'd seen a copy shop last time. After giving a few directions, they pulled up in front of one.
Most shops on this street had been looted, but perhaps because this one only offered copy services, its doors were still intact.
Bang, bang, bang.
Chu Yian knocked hard. When no one answered, she motioned for Youche to pick the lock.
Hearing the noise, someone finally opened the door.
A young man stood there, so thin he was practically skin and bones, with dark circles under his eyes.
"What do you want? I haven't eaten in days. If you're gonna loot, go ahead."
He started to lie back down on his messy little bed, but Chu Yian grabbed him.
"I need you to print some stuff for me."
"What's there to print when I'm starving to death?"
The guy didn't even want to move, let alone talk.
Chu Yian looked at Youche.
"Got any food left?"
The backpack had been left behind—what could he possibly have?
Youche really wanted to say "no," but seeing Chu Yian's look, he reluctantly reached into his waistband and pulled out a slightly melted chocolate bar.
The youth's eyes locked onto it instantly.
"You're giving me that?"
"Help us print a few maps. It's yours when we're done."
Chu Yian promised him.
Soon, the printer buzzed to life.
The guy booted up his PC and printed all four of Chu Yian's map files.
It was a clean exchange: maps for food.
As Chu Yian and Youche walked away, the young man tore open the chocolate wrapper like it was gold, savoring every tiny bite.
"These two are nuts," he muttered. "It's the damn apocalypse and they're wasting food printing maps."
But then, he remembered exactly what they printed—
One world map
One national map
One city map
One X City map
Shit. They were all maps.
The youth glanced at the files still open on his screen—and quickly printed himself a copy too.