After cutting down nearly a hundred infected, Ye Shu was utterly exhausted. Thankfully, every monster she lured out was swiftly finished off by Chen Meng's team.

She found a quiet spot to sit, washed her hands, and unhurriedly enjoyed a self-heating boxed meal. The aroma of braised chicken and potatoes made those nearby sniff the air. For the infected, sense of smell is keenest; ordinary survivors lacked Ye Shu’s strength and dared not eat hot food out in the open, settling instead for whatever bread or biscuits they could scavenge.

Once rested, Ye Shu employed her old tricks, provoking another horde of infected.

Chen Meng and her crew could only groan―even their machetes were dulled from hacking.

But there was no denying how efficient this method was. By day's end, nearly a thousand infected had been slain, with a full half claimed by Ye Shu alone.

"Sister Ye, don’t you think we should wait till tomorrow before coming back?"

Chen Meng cast a wary glance at Ye Shu, who hadn't even begun to pant. In that moment, she finally understood why there wasn’t a single infected around Room 9906―they’d all been wiped out long ago.

And to think she’d once worried Ye Xiaoshu might be in danger alone.

She was the true fool!

Everyone present felt their faces burn with shame. Who would have thought this doll-like girl was an absolute force of nature? They’d failed to recognize the master in their midst.

"Mm," Ye Shu murmured, kneading her sore shoulder. Apparently, even she was still too weak―a few monsters, and she nearly strained herself.

As always, Ye Shu kept her distance from others and returned to her old room.

Chen Meng made no move to stop her—what lunatic would try to interrupt the boss's rest?

That night, more people turned into infected. The mutation now ran its full course within just two hours, dozens of times faster than at the outset.

No one aboard the cruise ship slept easily, tormented by the fear that someone nearby would change before morning.

Chen Meng wore a face like iron, her dark eyes locked on the contorted human shape on the floor. The person was partway through their transformation; hands fused into webbed paddles, legs into a fish-like tail. With the last shreds of her mind, Chen Tiantian begged her not to let her become a monster. She pleaded for Chen Meng to kill her.

Chen Meng’s eyes were depths of turmoil; after a long pause, she gazed down at the figure in anguish.

Chen Tiantian was her half-sister, and their childhood had been far from harmonious. Compared to the quiet Chen Jing, their father had always favored Tiantian. The sisters had vied with each other for years; Chen Meng had eaten countless losses.

And now, Chen Tiantian slipped from this world in silence—

But Chen Meng found no joy in her passing.

Tiantian had never touched raw fish, nor gone near the tainted yellow water. How had she been infected?

No matter how she puzzled, Chen Meng couldn’t fathom it… until she noticed an almost invisible hairline scratch on Tiantian’s skin. The mark left by an infected: even the smallest wound spelled contagion.

…………

The game reached its eleventh day.

Ye Shu's routine: kill infected, stockpile points, rest.

With every fight, her reputation grew. Even on the eightieth floor, her name was spoken with respect. Anyone who recognized her called her 'Sister Ye'.

Once she cleared the eightieth floor, Ye Shu began sweeping other levels as well.

Seventy-sixth floor.

Lin Baozhu clutched a kitchen knife, hands pressed hard to her ears, her wide eyes locked on the shuddering door. If the infected got in, she’d have no chance. Worst of all, she still hadn't found her missing brother.

Her parents… surely, they’d been turned into monsters. There was no bringing them back now.

Lin Baozhu licked her chapped lips. All her food was long gone; she dared not touch any strange-smelling water.

Ye Shu, wooden sword in hand, rampaged through the corridor. Blue blood splattered the walls. She wiped congealed slime from her helmet, never stopping.

[Ding! Congratulations, player: killed low-level Infected x1! Gained 0.1 points.]

[Ding! Congratulations, player: killed Infected xN! Gained…]

Within minutes, the hallway was cleared, and Ye Shu’s energy near depleted.

Inside her room, Lin Baozhu never dropped her guard. At the sounds of battle outside, her eyes glimmered with tears—someone had come to save her. In these harrowing days, after watching even her neighbors be torn apart, she’d nearly reached her breaking point.

She wiped her eyes and cautiously peered through the peephole.

The infected that had clustered at her door were gone. In their place stood a single figure in a helmet.

Hope surged in Lin Baozhu’s heart. Seeing the figure about to leave, she burst out, flustered.

"Mask Hero, wait for me!"

Aside from the grotesque monsters, she hadn't seen another living soul in days. The sight of the masked stranger brought her a fleeting sense of relief.

"Can you take me with you? I’ll behave, I promise—I won’t slow you down!"

Clutching her kitchen knife, Lin Baozhu looked up at the helmeted hero, nervously stammering, nearly tripping over her own feet.

Ye Shu regarded the little girl with a complicated expression.

After Lin Baozhu was taken away by her uncle, Ye Shu had stopped checking in. She never expected to encounter her here, let alone save her by sheer accident.

"Come on."

Ye Shu lowered her voice. Lin Baozhu, too dazed with disbelief and joy, never realized her "Mask Hero" was none other than her Ye-jie.

Ye Shu brought her back to the eightieth floor and handed her over to Chen Meng.

"Sister Ye, if this child’s joining, I’ll look after her. Don’t worry—no one would dare bully her in our group."

It was the first time Chen Meng had seen Ye Shu bring back a survivor. Assuming it was someone she knew, Chen Meng welcomed Lin Baozhu without question.

Given the outbreak’s recent ferocity, she carefully checked Lin Baozhu for injuries. Finding none, and knowing she was Ye Shu’s personal rescue, the others treated her with utmost respect, immediately arranging a room and giving her bread and water.

Lin Baozhu took only a small sip from the bottle, too afraid to drink more. She ate half her bread, stowing the rest in her bag.

Days trapped alone had been hell for a girl so doted upon her whole life. Abandoned by her uncle, Lin Baozhu matured at harrowing speed—she was no longer the helpless child who needed her brother to coax her after every stumble.

She volunteered to fight infected with the main group, attacking monsters as if each were responsible for her family’s death. Small in size and weak in strength, she was caught several times by the infected, whose speed was frightening.

Her gaze unfailingly sought the masked hero at the front lines, burning with longing and awe. She hated only that she was not strong enough.

Ye Shu was moved by Lin Baozhu’s transformation.

The first time she’d seen the girl, it was in a lavish dress that left a deep impression—a far cry from this gritty, determined fighter.

On the thirteenth day since the game began.

Nearly half the players aboard the cruise had become infected.

The rate of mutation sharpened daily. Not only were the monsters becoming stronger and more cunning, but Ye Shu’s strategy to lure them with music lost its edge—somehow, the infected had developed the capacity for strategy.

A further blow dealt itself at dawn—a tempest broke over the sea.