At the main lobby on the ground floor of the building.
More than a hundred people were currently gathered here, each holding whatever item they could use as a weapon.
Most had nothing at all. A few lucky ones managed to find a broom. Someone luckier found a baseball bat. And one extremely lucky person even found a small fruit knife.
They were all standing in the lobby, staring toward the fog outside. The glass doors had been closed, but bizarrely, none of the doors in this place had locks. Because of that, they had piled anything they could find against the door to block it.
A man stood at the front. He was over 190 cm tall, muscular, with a thick beard, holding a metal baseball bat in one hand as he shouted loudly, "Everyone, don't panic. These zombies move very slowly. They're weak too, just like in the movies."
"As long as we stick together, we can beat them. Besides, the walls and glass cannot be destroyed. They can only come through the main entrance. All we need to do is defend here and we will succeed."
Hearing him speak, many people relaxed and even smiled. Several women looked at him with admiration.
"Baron, is it really possible to stop the zombies with just these things?"
A woman stepped forward. She was around 170 cm tall, wearing a glossy leather corset tightly wrapped around her large chest, straps crossing her neck and breasts. The top was very short, revealing a slender, toned waist.
Below, she wore black leather shorts that hugged her shapely hips, leaving her long, perfect legs exposed.
Baron glanced at her, extreme greed flashing in his eyes, though he kept his voice steady. "Of course, Lynie. Haven't you watched movies? Zombies move slowly and weakly. They only react when they hear sound."
"As long as we defend the main entrance carefully and don't let any zombies slip in, we will definitely clear this damned game."
Lynie frowned, eyes filled with doubt, but she said nothing because everyone else agreed with Baron's words.
She turned to leave. Seeing that, Baron quickly called out, "Where are you going?"
"Back to my room." Lynie waved her hand. "Since you're this confident, then the people here are more than enough to deal with the zombies. You don't need me here."
Baron clicked his tongue. He had wanted Lynie to witness his strength and leadership, then win her heart.
Now that she was leaving, how was he supposed to show off?
"Wait!" Baron shouted loudly. "Right now we need to stay united. Leaving at a time like this is far too selfish."
"That's right!" A woman shouted. Her unattractive face twisted with irritation and jealousy. "What is she, huh? While all of us are risking our lives defending this entrance, she wants to run back to her safe little room?"
"You're right! A woman like her only uses her looks to seduce stupid men."
"Huh! Why wear heavy makeup like that? What, trying to use your body to get protection from the idiots around you?"
The harsh words filled Lynie's ears, making her expression turn icy.
Baron shouted, "All of you, quiet! Don't speak like that."
Then he looked at Lynie and said with a friendly smile, "Just stay for a bit. I'll protect you."
The crowd heard Baron's words, and their gazes toward Lynie grew even more jealous and hostile. The men's eyes burned with greed, making her feel utterly disgusted.
Right at that moment…
[Ting! Ting! Ting!]
[Countdown complete, first event - 'Zombie Raid'.]
[Infinite Game – Begin!]
The System's voice echoed, and Baron shouted, "Everyone, prepare to fight!"
"Zombies! Zombies are coming!"
"Ah! So disgusting!"
"Huew! That's vile!"
"Shut up! Don't make noise, they can hear us!"
The crowd instantly fell silent, nervously watching the zombies rushing at them in a frenzy.
Wait. Rushing?
Baron's eyes widened. He suddenly realized these zombies were not slow at all. In fact, they were running.
"What the hell?!"
BAM! BAM! BAM!
"AGH!!!"
"Help!"
"No! Damn it! You said zombies were slow, so why are they this fast?!"
"Shit! Even if I had two extra legs I couldn't run that fast!"
"Move! Hurry, run!"
"What are you standing there for? That door won't hold!"
Inside the lobby, everyone was in total chaos, scrambling to flee. Outside, the zombies crashed into the glass doors like a herd of enraged bulls.
They felt no pain, slamming their bodies against the glass with full force. Because the building structures could not be damaged, their bodies were crushed and mangled in horrifying ways.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
They didn't stop. The zombies in front smashed themselves to death, and the ones behind simply kept coming.
The glass door trembled violently, and the makeshift barricades of tables, chairs, and anything else people piled up shook wildly.
Seeing this scene, Baron's face drained of color. He muttered, "Impossible… The movies say zombies are slow… weak… Why are they like this?"
He watched as the people who had confidently wanted to defend the entrance earlier abandoned their positions and fled for their lives. His own heart sank as he gripped the metal bat tightly.
If these were ordinary humans, he might not have been so terrified.
But they were zombies. They didn't know fear. They didn't get tired. Their brute strength alone shattered everything Baron thought he understood.
And most importantly, even a small scratch from these zombies meant he would definitely turn into one of them.
Baron trembled, then spun around to run. As he turned, he saw Lynie already sprinting up the stairs, and he immediately rushed after her.
"No! There are zombies in the corridor too!"
"What the hell is going on?! Isn't the lobby the only entrance?!"
"No, wait! These zombies just appeared out of nowhere!"
"What?!"
"No! AGH!!!"
Those fleeing up the stairs suddenly found another group of zombies already waiting in the corridor. They froze, unable to decide where to run.
The zombies charged at them like rabid dogs, beginning the feast they had long been craving.
BAM!
The glass doors at the lobby finally burst open. A flood of zombies poured inside like tidal waves, rushing in all directions in search of the living.
"Hurry! Get upstairs!"
"Close the emergency door!"
"Block the stairwell! Everyone, run into your rooms, don't stay outside!"
"Damn it! Those bastards in the rooms already locked their doors!"
"Run! Get to the highest floor!"
The scene was pure chaos. Many who couldn't escape in time were devoured. Those who escaped but were bitten turned into zombies shortly after, attacking their former allies.
Anyone with a room fled into it. Those without rooms could only desperately keep running upward, clinging to hope.
At that moment, someone shouted, "Stop running! Fight! If we keep running, all of us will die!"
"Hurry! Block the emergency door from below! We can hold back the zombies coming up and kill the ones in the corridor!"
"That's right! We can't just run forever. There aren't many zombies in the hallway, we can handle them!"
"Anyone with a weapon, get in front!"
"Use tables and chairs to shield yourselves! Don't let them touch you!"
…
Meanwhile, Rover on the 7th floor also heard the deafening noise and violent pounding coming from outside.
He peered through the invisible viewing slot on his door and saw five zombies that had suddenly appeared in the corridor. The sight made him jolt in shock.
However, something else startled him even more. Above every zombie's head was a small line of text.
Rover focused his thoughts on the text. Immediately, an information panel appeared before him.
[Zombie]
[Type: Monster]
[Grade: 0]
[Skills: None]
[Description: A pitiful person dragged into the Infinite Game and turned into a zombie.]
[Hint: After killing a Zombie, within 24 hours, if you use Reclaim to absorb the energy inside, you will receive 3 Omni Points per Zombie.]
"What?!"