One tricky thing about A-rank dungeons is that once you’re inside, you can’t manipulate the NPCs anymore.
In lower-level dungeons like the D-rank one Su Shisan was in before, Builders could implant subtle suggestions—for example, encouraging native NPCs to gang up on a specific player.
But in high-level dungeons, that’s strictly off-limits.
Unless it’s part of the original premise—say, “The entire city is my puppet”—Builders can’t alter native memories or influence their will once the scenario starts.
Whatever accidents occur, they have to wait until the dungeon ends before making any edits.
And that rule was now a thorn in Su Shisan’s side—because if she didn’t want to be eliminated early, she had to find a way to protect herself.
It had already been established that the “Blood Cross” members would turn on each other.
The virus amplified their deepest desires, which meant that the old, the weak, and the vulnerable were actually more dangerous than the rest in this dungeon.
In the early days, there were still plenty of uninfected humans, so the infected targeted them.
But by the middle and end phases, most of the uninfected were either hiding or dead. With no victims to take out their aggression on, the infected turned on each other.
Reinforcing a house did nothing. When a sentient being had no hesitation and full intelligence, breaking into a house was trivial—saws, axes, bullets… there were too many ways to break through a door.
The villa Su Shisan had been assigned by [Director Liu] was in a heavily populated neighborhood. It was stocked with everything she needed to survive for fifteen days without stepping foot outside.
People assumed that living in a crowded area would be dangerous. But in truth, it was the safest place to be. Fewer people meant players would sniff you out quickly and take your spot.
As for fears of the rich district being raided by jealous mobs?
That was unlikely. If ordinary people had weapons, then the wealthy had even better ones. As long as they didn’t start fighting each other, Su Shisan would be relatively safe.
She planned to leave when [Director Liu] gave her the next set of instructions.
She didn’t bother modifying the villa—no hidden basements or secret compartments. No one in this game was stupid.
Everyone knew where people might try to hide. If someone really broke in, they’d tear the place apart. Hiding was futile.
She spent four comfortable days lying around.
Every time she opened the curtains, she’d be greeted with a river of blood outside and the constant, muffled sound of gunfire that even soundproof glass couldn’t block.
Europe, she thought. So full of “martial virtue.”
She even saw a squad of soldiers slaughtering people in broad daylight—not just killing, but torturing them. Burning, looting, raping, pillaging—every atrocity imaginable.
Severed limbs littered the ground. Blood splattered in every direction.
On one street corner, a gang of shirtless barbarians had formed a line, taking turns bowling severed heads at pins made from human torsos.
That was this week’s “entertainment event.” Both the “balls” and the “pins” were replaced daily.
And yet, that wasn’t even the worst of it.
At the center of the villa district stood a mansion. Every day, injured women, children—even babies—were dragged inside and never came back out.
The scent of roasted meat drifting from that house made it grimly obvious what they were doing.
The mansion’s owner was, disturbingly, quite “generous.” Every day, he set out ingredients on the front table for “passersby” to enjoy.
Sometimes it was a boiled breast. Sometimes, raw genitals. Sometimes a chunk of thigh. Arms and legs were more common—premium cuts were usually reserved for the host.
Clearly, the person inside was a high-functioning infected. Unlike those who just killed mindlessly—zombie-like creatures who barely used tools—this one acted more like a person.
From just this one street, Su Shisan could tell: the entire city had devolved into a hellish slaughterhouse.
After watching for a while, she calmly drew the curtains. There was no need to hide. Hiding only excited the Blood Cross predators.
Besides, the infection marks on her face weren’t fake—no need to worry about safety for now.
She sank back into the couch and turned on the television to check the latest updates.
Yes, broadcasts still existed. But they weren’t like before—no hosts, no commentary. Just nonstop livestreams of murder.
Frankly, Su Shisan wasn’t a fan of this dungeon’s setup. Normal people turned too fast, too easily.
It had only been a few days, and already she could barely spot a single uninfected human.
Blood Cross members didn’t feel fear. They couldn’t amuse her. Ordinary people died too quickly. And players?
She hadn’t even seen one.
Knock, knock, knock!
Someone was at the door.
She checked the monitor. Outside stood an elderly gentleman in a sharp suit, flanked by a group of grinning, naked lunatics. They all bore the blood-red cross on their faces.
Suspicious?
Maybe. Or just curious?
Su Shisan walked over and opened the door with a calm smile.
“Yes?”
The old man, leaning on a cane, tipped his hat in a gentlemanly bow.
“Good evening, beautiful miss. I noticed you haven’t left your house lately. You must be bored—so I brought you a little something.”
He stepped aside, revealing a tall, muscular infected holding a bloodied, unconscious little boy.
The man smacked the boy awake. The child opened his eyes—but didn’t cry. Too much pain. His eyes welled up as he stared at the only unfamiliar face in the room: Su Shisan.
The group walked right in, looking around eagerly, as if itching to wreck the place. Su Shisan spoke slowly:
“Please don’t break other people’s things.”
As she said it, she drew a submachine gun from inside her coat. The threat was clear.
“Of course,” the old gentleman said, tapping his cane to silence the others. He motioned for the boy to be handed over.
“This is my gift to you. Do you like it?”
Su Shisan pulled a pistol from her pocket and shot the boy in the head without a second of hesitation.
Bang!
She holstered the weapon and looked up.
“I’m not interested in children. But her—I might be.”
She nodded toward a woman with blood still on her lips, covered in bloody sores, with hair styled using what looked like human fingers.
Her body was barely covered by two scraps of cloth—a textbook infected.
The old man looked her up and down. He couldn’t see what was so special.
“This woman… caught your eye?” he asked, puzzled.
“She fits my aesthetic,” Su Shisan said, her tone laced with meaning.
The old man fell silent. Fair enough. The woman was beautiful. If Su Shisan was into women, her interest made sense.
He nodded and waved the woman forward.
“Then she’s yours. I hope you feel my sincerity.”
“I already do.” Su Shisan smiled faintly and saw them out, leaving the infected woman standing in her living room.
She had barely shut the door when something hard pressed into her back.
Without flinching, Su Shisan said, “I suggest you think carefully. Without me, you’re not getting out of here.”
She wasn’t bluffing. The entire villa compound was surrounded by three-meter-high barbed wire. The old gentleman held command here, and under his direction, the infected patrolled with eerie order.
There was no way to escape.
As for how he held control?
Not because he was “more infected,” but because he had always been the top dog in this district. Now, as one of them, he brought them more prey—and more joy.
“Why did you ask for me?” the woman behind her rasped.
“How did you know?”
Su Shisan answered serenely, “Not all Blood Cross members love killing. I just thought you were interesting. As for how I found you out? When I shot that kid—you closed your eyes, didn’t you?”
Her shooting speed wasn’t fast. Everyone had time to react. And yet while all the infected had watched wide-eyed with twisted glee, she had flinched.
Just for a moment—but it was enough.
Clearly not infected. But Su Shisan still didn’t know if she was a native or a player.
The gun stayed at her back. Su Shisan sighed.
“Relax. If I wanted to expose you, I would’ve said something right then.”
That was true. With that many infected around, she wouldn’t have lasted five seconds.
After a beat, the woman lowered the gun and took a step back.
“Then what do you want?”
“I’m just curious what normal people are thinking these days.” Su Shisan handed her a sealed bottle of mineral water.
“Here. Tap water isn’t safe anymore.”
The woman took it cautiously, her tension easing a little.
“Thanks… Are you really one of them?”
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