"So what if he's ranked first? There's more of us—no matter how tough he is, he can't do anything to us!"

"Charge! Brothers, all the supplies on the 80th floor are ours!"

"With explosives in hand, I rule this ship—I don't believe they aren't afraid of what I've got right here!"

Pei Yu glanced at the survivors storming toward the blocked passage, a sinister smile curving his lips.

With this bunch of idiots paving the way ahead, all he had to do was wait like a fisherman, reaping the rewards when the time was right. The supplies on the 79th floor were far from enough to feed all his underlings—the spoils from the 80th would make up the difference.

It was the seventeenth day of the game.

The barricaded route to the 80th floor was finally blasted open by the survivors.

With a deafening boom, the entire cruise ship shuddered. By the time Li Dahai arrived with his people, it was already too late—below, survivors surged into the corridor like madmen, eyes wild and desperate.

"Hahaha… So what if you locked the passage? We made it up anyway!"

"If you know what's good for you, hand over the supplies and we’ll let you live."

"Chen-ge, what are we wasting words for? Kill them—then all the supplies and women are ours!"

………

The survivors burst into the storeroom, eyes bloodshot at the mountain of hoarded resources. They’d frozen and starved below, while these lucky bastards up here feasted and drank their fill—not a single infected in sight. It was paradise!

They never considered that the abundance on the 80th floor was thanks to Li Dahai, Chen Meng, and the others’ foresight, who’d spent a fortune stockpiling before entering the game—and that the infected here had all been cleared out by Ye Shu and her team, room by room. There was no question of fairness.

No one would willingly hand over the fruits of their labor to those trying to force it with sanctimonious words.

"Hold it right there!"

"That’s our food—you have no right to touch it!"

The passage had been blasted open so suddenly that no one managed to react in time. Survivors from below were already pouring into the storeroom, looting food in a frenzy. Two opposing groups clashed—knives and swords flashing. The men from below, armed to the teeth with guns and ammo thanks to Pei Yu, held the upper hand. They showed no mercy; blood ran thick and casualties mounted fast.

"Get Ye-jie, now!"

Chen Meng narrowly dodged a flying bullet, a ruby streak blossoming across her porcelain cheek. She roared at the sentries, "Hurry! We’ll hold them here!"

Ye Shu’s combat prowess was recognized by all—she was easily the strongest on the 80th floor. If even she couldn’t stop these people, they were doomed. What shocked Chen Meng was how the survivors from below had struck so quickly, blasting open the barred passage during the brief team rotation.

Yet… the timing was almost too perfect.

So precise, it made her uneasy.

It was as if the people below had known exactly when their guard would be down—not luck, but betrayal.

………

The explosion echoed loud and heavy. Even in the farthest cabin on the 80th deck, Ye Shu felt the tremor underfoot.

With sixty floors already overrun by infected, the remaining survivors were cornered, desperate. Even a cornered rabbit will bite—these people were wolves, and Li Dahai’s side lacked the most coveted weapons. Failing to hold the line… was inevitable.

Ye Shu leaped from her bed and headed for the deck.

Below, the survivors hacked a bloody path through everyone in their way. Li Dahai’s people, unarmed and outgunned, were forced back step by step. In mere minutes, casualties soared into the hundreds.

"Damn things—they’ve got so many guns and bullets!"

"Weapons wasted on fighting us instead of the infected…"

"Master Ye will be here soon!"

Chen Meng spat blood, her eyes burning with hatred as she glared at those across from her. She’d been careless—never noticed a traitor in their midst. No wonder the people below could force their way in during the team change.

"Xiao Fan, I’ve never treated you badly—why betray us?"

A man opposite her grinned, mockery sparking in his eyes. "Meng-jie, what future could there be following a woman? I, Chen Fan, won’t serve under anyone. With Pei Yu—the number two on the 79th floor—around, clearing the game will be a breeze. Since you’re family, Meng-jie, I’ll let bygones be bygones. As for that woman…we’ve got firepower—let’s see if she really dares take us on."

Chen Meng saw his heart clearly and didn’t even want to argue. What mattered now was buying a little more time for her people.

But to think Chen Fan’s reason for betrayal was… this.

"Won’t serve under anyone? Ha! You’re just Pei Yu’s lapdog. With him here, you’ll always be number two—actually, not even that. You’re just cannon fodder at the front of his pack."

With a snarl, Chen Meng spat blood in Chen Fan’s face.

She knew enough from her days in the national special ops squad: Pei Yu was cunning and sly, a master at manipulating people. Did Chen Fan think a single awakened power made him invincible? In the end, he was just being used, played for a fool.

"You..."

Furious, Chen Fan wiped the blood from his face.

All his life, his mother had favored Chen Meng, his older cousin. No matter what he did, he’d always been overshadowed. It wasn’t until he drew an ability card in this game that he shrugged off the weight of inferiority and longed to prove himself.

The survivors tore into the food like starving animals, shoveling mouthfuls in, tossing the rest on the ground without care for the aching gazes of the team who had scraped it all together.

"Anyone who’s not from the 80th floor, back off!"

"If you’re not part of the 80th, retreat NOW!"

Ye Shu strode forward, a wooden sword at her waist and a rocket launcher balanced on her shoulder. Her face remained inscrutable, her beauty as cold and distant as the moon.

"Ha? This is the infamous tyrant of the 80th floor Chen-ge warned us about?"

"She’s just some pampered little girl—what can she do?"

"Who cares? We’re here, and we’re not leaving. Even if she’s tough, she’s only one woman, and we’ve got the numbers and Pei-ge’s explosives. We’ll drag her down with wave tactics if we have to! I don’t believe she even dares!"

The survivors were convinced Ye Shu was merely a delicate young woman called in by Li Dahai to scare them. They dismissed her entirely. Yet Chen Fan’s face changed slightly.

He’d only been picked up by Chen Meng from the 30th floor a few days before. He’d never interacted closely with Ye Shu, but she had a reputation for minding only her own business—except when it came to slaying the infected. That was the only reason he’d dared join the plot to blow the passage. He never expected this madwoman would show up—and take command.

Once, from a distance, he’d seen Ye Shu massacring the infected, slaughtering them by the hundred with nothing but a battered wooden sword. To call her a demoness would be no exaggeration.

"Ye-jie… I’m Chen Fan. I mean no offense. We’ll let you take the biggest share of the 80th floor supplies—do whatever you want…"

Chen Fan hadn’t finished when Ye Shu, unmoved by pleas or threats, took in her fallen team with one cold, impervious glance. Without a word, she hefted the rocket launcher, sighted down the barrel, and fired at the survivors.

With a thunderous blast, the room filled with light and fire.

In a panic, Chen Fan activated his power, turning his whole body to metal—barely surviving by the skin of his teeth.

No wonder they called her a madwoman. With her, talk was a waste of time—she shot first and asked questions never.