Chapter 3 - Never Mess with a Lunatic!
In the neighboring office, four ears were carefully listening to the commotion outside. Hearing all the rustling and clattering, they couldn’t help but exchange bewildered glances.
Soon, a timid voice came from under the desk, “Manager, that… that sounds like Xiao Meng, doesn’t it?”
“What is he doing, confessing to Chi Wei? But Chi Wei is… isn’t she… by Manager Chi…?”
The owner of the voice stammered, seemingly unable to believe their ears, and thus whispered to the manager, who was hiding behind the wall not far away.
The pot-bellied manager was sneakily observing the situation from the window, equally dumbfounded.
“This… this…”
It was too shocking.
He couldn’t find the words to describe the shock he felt.
Checking in for work?
Confessing to a zombie?
Is this Xiao Meng crazy?
He felt utterly astounded.
This person must be a lunatic.
To think he had hidden it so well that no one had noticed any signs of illness.
Although he didn’t understand why Chi Wei wasn’t biting him, the manager quickly devised an excellent plan.
He turned his head and quietly said to the chubby employee cowering under the desk, “In a moment, I’ll call Meng Xu over. You think of a way to make some noise, got it?!”
“Trust me, this will ensure we both stay alive!”
…
“Congratulations! You’ve successfully checked in!”
The piercing electronic voice echoed through the entire hallway, its hollow sound causing quite a bit of commotion.
In other offices, it seemed there were also office workers mutated into zombies.
The piercing disturbance reached Meng Xu’s ears, making him take a deep breath and try to stay as calm as possible.
【A mundane task check-in. You successfully clocked in three minutes before being late, avoiding the mistake of a late penalty.】
【Task completed. Task rating: Normal.】
【You have received the task reward: Extra appreciation from your superior.】
Meng Xu kept a calm expression, showing no emotion.
Appreciation from a superior?
It’s the end of the world; what good is a superior’s appreciation now?
But what is the use of these points?
As soon as this thought crossed Meng Xu’s mind, a virtual “shop” appeared before his eyes.
【This shop only displays items that the host can afford. Items over 5 points will not be shown.】
Seeing the red reminder text, Meng Xu was quite satisfied. After looking further, he found there were only three options.
They were labeled as “most valuable,” and two others were labeled as “useless.”
“5 points can be exchanged for 5000 yuan. Wow.”
Seeing the most valuable item, Meng Xu couldn’t help but chuckle.
Brother, it’s the apocalypse. Even five billion wouldn’t help me now! Well, maybe if these zombies turn out to be weak and are quickly eliminated.
The other two items, although average, were still quite good for Meng Xu.
One was a bottle of cola that could refresh and revive him, and the other was a compressed biscuit that could increase fullness—enough to skip a meal.
Both were priced at 2 points each.
Not bad—something to eat and drink.
Under normal circumstances, only a fool would choose compressed biscuits and cola.
But now…
Only a fool would choose the 5000 yuan!
Meng Xu took a deep breath and looked at the wandering Chi Wei nearby. Although Chi Wei had an extremely negative impression of him, it didn’t mean another zombie wouldn’t appear.
So, Meng Xu decided to retreat for now and make plans later.
“Xiao Meng, come over, come over!”
At this moment, a soft call reached Meng Xu’s ears.
The voice was light and somewhat urgent, with its owner speaking in a hushed tone, straining to be heard.
On hearing the voice, Meng Xu felt a familiar sensation. Looking back, he saw a slight gap in the door of the neighboring office, with a face peering through, eyes filled with hope, seemingly longing for Meng Xu to extend a helping hand.
Seeing this old face, Meng Xu chuckled.
Oh, isn’t this the manager?
How did you end up like this after just one night?
Where did the sternness go when you ordered me to work overtime last night?
Also, why are you in the neighboring company’s office? What’s going on here?
Is this what they call the superior’s appreciation?
Meng Xu couldn’t help but smile.
Seeing that Meng Xu had noticed him, the manager was overjoyed and whispered, “Xiao Meng, do me a favor; go and lure Chi Wei away!”
Seeing this, Meng Xu approached without much hesitation, intending to have a chat with the manager.
After all, in the apocalypse, having one more person meant having more strength.
But just as Meng Xu was about to enter, the wooden door closed with a ‘click’, shutting him out.
And just at that moment, a loud noise suddenly erupted from the room, seemingly intending to attract something.
What’s going on?
Meng Xu was startled.
The moment the loud noise sounded, Chi Wei, who was wandering at the end of the hallway, was drawn towards it. But upon seeing Meng Xu, she hesitated, appearing somewhat apprehensive.
The sounds of growls also came from several other rooms, as the noise seemed to have agitated other zombies locked inside the offices.
Then, Meng Xu heard the manager shout loudly, “Meng Xu, that one is coming. Kindly lure her away! Once we get through this wave of the virus, I’ll promote you to vice general manager. The future of the company depends on young talents like you!”
【Congratulations! Your successful check-in has caught the attention of your superior! A promotion and raise are just ahead! The first rule of the workplace is to not go against your boss. Please loudly express your gratitude for his high expectations of you!】
【Triggered Task: Extend the Warmest and Sincerest Greetings to Your Superior】
【Task Rewards: Points +5, Trust Level from Your Superior +10.】
“Heh
Meng Xu’s eyes grew cold, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
He naturally understood what was going on.
Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for what I’m about to do.
Seeing the situation, Meng Xu smiled slightly, putting on a friendly expression, and loudly addressed the manager behind the door, “Good morning, Manager! Why are you in the neighboring company’s office? I think we should get back to working in our own office, don’t you agree? As for your suggestion, I think it’s a no-go. You should handle that yourself!”
“Uh?”
The manager was stunned by Meng Xu’s reaction, momentarily speechless. Before he could respond, he felt a tremendous force coming from outside the door!
The handle started to turn!
“No!”
The manager’s face turned pale. He hurriedly tried to brace the door, but Meng Xu’s strength was overwhelming, and the now feeble, elderly manager was no match for Meng Xu, who had just finished allocating attribute points!
The manager growled under his breath, “Help me! Don’t let Meng Xu in; let him lure that thing away so we can leave and go home!”
Hearing the manager’s call, the employee hiding under the desk suddenly came to his senses and nervously went over to help. But before they could brace the door together, Meng Xu had already forced it open!
“Boom!”
With a loud crash, the door was violently pushed open, shaking ominously.
For a moment, the entire room fell silent.
“Xiao… Xiao Meng.”
The manager barely managed a forced smile and looked at the makeshift scissors in Meng Xu’s hand. His tone suddenly became very friendly, “I think my suggestion was not a good one. Now I believe Liu Weneng should go instead.”
He regretted it deeply.
If he had known, he wouldn’t have messed with a lunatic.
Liu Weneng was the chubby colleague standing nearby.
Upon hearing the manager’s words, Liu Weneng trembled.
“Heh.”
Meng Xu snorted and calmly exited the office.
The moment Meng Xu left, Chi Wei charged in with a grimace.
“Save me, save me!”
The manager, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, didn’t have time to react. He saw Chi Wei lunging at him, turning pale with fright. In the next instant, he heard a “crunch” as a chunk of flesh was bitten off.
Low growls emanated from the zombie’s throat, and powerful jaws snapped, causing blood and flesh to splatter.
“Ahhh!!!”
The screams were endless, while the chubby employee was scared stiff on the floor, unable to move.
Meng Xu remained calm.
If the chubby man and the manager had reacted immediately and shut the door, they might have survived.
But unfortunately, they missed their chance.
What has happened before is like yesterday’s death; what happens now is like today’s life.
Everything starts today!