Chapter Thirteen: Strengthening Alice

Atop the Emperor Tower in the city center, Laura gazed down at the chaos below, her heart chilled with dread. If only she had left for home right after emerging from the basement, she might have stood a chance—perhaps there would have been risks in the tumultuous traffic, but at least there was hope, unlike the passive predicament she faced now.

Earlier that afternoon, she had sent her secretary down to find security, a move that was actually a test. If the mayhem was confined to the basement and hadn’t yet spread to the offices, she could have left safely, perhaps with a few security guards to ensure her protection. But the secretary never returned. An hour later, Laura looked through the tinted glass from above and saw the first living corpse darting out of the building. Its bizarre running posture and terrifying speed as it hunted humans sent a fresh wave of terror through her.

She observed for a long time and gathered some facts: these living corpses possessed tremendous explosive power and agility—nothing like the stiff, slow zombies of the movies. Like their cinematic counterparts, however, they were infectious, though the process was slower; a body would usually undergo transformation about two hours after infection. Most of these creatures still had intact limbs—they seemed only interested in blood, rarely damaging other tissues, which meant newly turned corpses often retained whole bodies.

This analysis brought Laura a modicum of comfort. The monsters’ speed would make survivors even scarcer and make it much harder for government forces to respond, but at least the infection wasn’t instantaneous; as long as the military organized itself, there was still a fighting chance.

Her only option now was to wait for rescue. She surveyed the resources in her office: two large jugs of mineral water, a large bag of coffee beans, and a stash of snacks. She had always disliked having snacks in the office, but now she was incredibly grateful for them. She divided them carefully. She also had a habit, born of years of business travel, of carrying nutrient solution, which could sustain bodily functions, stave off hunger, and keep her from starving. Counting four vials of nutrient solution, plus the snacks and water, she estimated she could last about a week. If no rescue arrived by then, she would be truly out of options.

As for making a break for it herself, the thought never crossed her mind. The building alone housed thousands of employees, and just one of those monsters would mean certain death for her—never mind the SWAT, even they would be hard-pressed to escape. If all those employees were infected, nothing short of a modern army battalion could hope to clear them out.

Having rationed her food, she turned on her computer, hoping to find news updates, but found nothing. The disaster had erupted too swiftly. If there were any news, it would mean the government had at least weathered the initial chaos, but the odds of that happening before the internet and power went down were slim. Laura kept busy, trying to distract herself. She knew mental activity burned energy, but she couldn’t bear to sit still, for whenever she did, her thoughts would inevitably return to what worried her most: her daughter.

If these were the clumsy zombies of the movies, perhaps her clever daughter could have escaped. But after seeing these things, Laura could hardly bear to imagine what could happen if her daughter ran into one… All she could do now was keep her mind occupied, desperately pushing away the thought, and silently hope for a miracle.

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“Master, are you sure you want to take out the high-purity source blood?” After their narrow escape back to the room, Guo Lang immediately began preparations to strengthen Alice. According to Xiao Tao, using low-grade enhancement serum on Alice would be a waste of her talent. But as a novice, there was only one vial of high-purity blood serum available, meant for himself. To get a second vial, he would either need to unlock the tech tree after establishing a main base and research it himself—or take out a loan from the system in advance!

Looking at Xiao Tao’s sly, smiling face, Guo Lang couldn’t help but feel she was up to no good. If possible, he would rather not take out loans so early in the game; the interest rates from these so-called main deities were outrageous, compounding on themselves. If you couldn’t pay them back quickly, well, the consequences were far more terrifying than any debt collection agency—no one ever ended well.

“What’s the interest rate for the Dark Night?” Guo Lang asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

“Not much!” Xiao Tao replied cheerfully. “Ours is the lowest among all races, because Dark Night has a tough time gaining an early advantage. We offer all kinds of loan services to help our followers get started—it’s very humane!”

Yeah, right. Guo Lang’s mouth twitched. Early-game disadvantage is our fault? With such a feeble bloodline and all these restrictions, no wonder the Dark Night was so weak in his previous life. The leader had no sense of strategy.

After looking over the prices and interest standards, Guo Lang worked out the rest of his plan. It seemed just barely manageable. Glancing at Alice’s pitiful expression, he gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll buy it!”

The old man named Vick had been silent ever since following Guo Lang’s group here. Though he was intensely curious—about the basement supplies, which seemed almost as if they had been prepared in advance, and about the floating bubble in mid-air, which looked like some new black technology—he dared not ask. Now that he was dependent on others, he was wise enough to keep a low profile.

Guo Lang ignored the old man. After redeeming the serum, he crouched down and pinched Alice’s cheek. “Do you want to come with me to save your mother?”

“Yes!” Alice nodded firmly, which troubled Guo Lang. That was precisely why he had exchanged the serum so early—Alice didn’t fully trust him, afraid he wouldn’t give his all to save her mother, insisting on coming along. But the city center was the most dangerous place in this chaos’s early days. He wasn’t even sure he could make it through, let alone bring along someone who would slow him down.

“If you come, you’ll be a big distraction. It’ll be much more dangerous for you,” he tried to persuade her.

Alice just pursed her lips and stared at him in silence. Seeing her stubborn expression, Guo Lang knew there was no use arguing. He pulled out the vial. “This is a high-tech serum. Once injected, you’ll become stronger and able to protect yourself.”

Alice’s eyes widened. “Like the heroine in Zombie Crisis?”

Zombie Crisis? What a tacky name. Guo Lang privately scoffed at this world’s lowbrow zombie films, but answered, “Something like that.”

“Oh!” Alice’s eyes sparkled, and so did Vick’s eyes behind her—first with excitement, then greed. But glancing at Guo Lang’s back, he sobered up. At his age, the odds of taking such a miraculous serum from this mysterious young man were less than one in a million.

“Listen to me—saving your mother has to wait a week.”

“What?” Alice stood up anxiously, but Guo Lang pressed her back down. “Be good, I know you’re worried, but there’s no other way. We have no chance of surviving in the city right now. The chaos has just begun, you haven’t absorbed the serum and can’t fight. We need a week as a buffer. In that week, I’ll do my best to train you into a fighter. To save your mother, you must have some ability.”

“But…” Alice still looked anxious, so Guo Lang comforted her, “I know what you’re thinking—every day we wait means more danger. But fate is what it is. If your mother survived the first wave, I believe a woman clever enough to raise a daughter like you will survive and wait for us. All we can do is believe in miracles.”

Alice lowered her head, silent for a while, then the weakness in her eyes was replaced by resolve. When she looked up again, Guo Lang saw a strength far beyond her years.

“Dad, shall we start now?”

Guo Lang nodded solemnly and took out the Dark Night contract from his inventory. Every follower had to sign a contract—this was law. Bloodlines were the most precious resource of every race, and were never allowed to leak out; violators were hunted across the universe. To receive the race’s serum, one had to become a follower, even for the lowest-grade soldier serums.

The Dark Night contract was carved from living wood, ancient and dignified, with a palpable sense of history. The runes on the bark radiated an air of mystery and authority. Guo Lang unrolled the contract and said to Alice, “Place your palm on it.”

Alice, without a trace of hesitation, obediently set her hand on the contract. The ancient bark glowed with a purple light, making Vick’s eyes nearly pop out—wasn’t this supposed to be science fiction? Why the sudden switch to fantasy? Just what was this young man’s background?

“Remember, you must not hesitate for even an instant during the contract process,” Guo Lang instructed sternly.

“Yes!” Alice nodded solemnly.

The contract began. As the purple light shimmered over the contract, a circular formation appeared, centered on Guo Lang and Alice, three meters in diameter. Complex runes surfaced at the center, and finally, a strange eye materialized there—larger than Alice herself, but not frightening; it radiated an aura of peace and benevolence, soothing and reassuring. A silvery glow filled the dim basement—cold as flowing water, yet inexplicably calming.

Auburn Alice, are you willing to join the Dark Night, become a follower of the Silver Moon Lord, and offer your loyalty, your life, even your soul?

I am willing! Alice’s expression was calm; her voice was soft but unwavering.

Guo Lang silently praised her. The oath was a crucial step. Unlike the earliest followers on Planet D, who were tricked into it, the Lord Deity was not so gentle with followers from new worlds. If your tone showed any hesitation or doubt, it would count against you. You could still pass, but those blacklisted would never advance far.

“In the name of Enilu, Supreme Lord of the Dark Night, I sign this contract with you. You offer your loyalty; the Lord bestows you with strength. From this moment, you leave the mortal realm and become a member of the supreme Dark Night race. May you win further glory for the Lord.”

Judging by the voice, it must be a high priest, though Guo Lang wasn’t sure which one. He bowed respectfully, and together with Alice said, “All for the glory of the Lord!”

The Dark Night’s oath was brief and to the point—unlike the tedious rituals and vows of the Lord of Radiance. Guo Lang appreciated this; at least the upper clergy weren’t overly political and kept things efficient.

After the contract was sealed, a crescent-shaped mark appeared on Alice’s palm. She was now a follower of the Silver Moon Lord. Guo Lang let out a breath and slumped to the ground, drained. The pressure from the high priest was no joke. Old Vick had fainted the moment the aura appeared.

“Dad, what do we do next?” Alice turned and asked. Guo Lang sighed in exasperation at her expression—so solemn moments ago, and yet he knew she hadn’t taken the so-called Lord Deity to heart.

“First, inject the serum and strengthen yourself. Today you’ll get used to your new body. Tomorrow, I’ll teach you how to fight living corpses.”