I opened a shop on the Astral Train-Chapter 87

Kiana held a big bowl and ate coolly, enjoying her meal so much that Kevin, who had just finished breakfast, started feeling a little hungry again.

She slurped up every last noodle and even drank the soup, savoring every drop.

Letting out a satisfied sigh, she placed the empty bowl on the table with a thud.

"Ah~ That was amazing! I'm definitely bringing some back for Mei and the others when I go home. This is hands down the best instant noodles I've ever had!"

Himeko chuckled and handed Kiana a wet tissue.

"Kiana, don't just wipe your mouth with your hands after eating. You'll get yourself all messy. Use tissues next time. Here, wipe your hands."

Kiana took the tissue, scratched the back of her head sheepishly, and grinned.

"I know, Aunt Himeko!"

Himeko's expression darkened slightly as she flicked Kiana's forehead.

"Call me sister."

Kiana rubbed her forehead with a wry smile.

"Sister Himeko."

Only then did Himeko nod in satisfaction.

"Alright, let's go check out today's dungeon."

Everyone gathered around the dungeon portal.

Kiana leaned in closer and read the title displayed on it.

"Today's dungeon: CFGO Biochemical Mode?

What does that even mean?"

Kevin looked a little surprised. freewebnøvel.coɱ

"CFGO again? But what's this 'biochemical mode' about?"

Yuri smirked.

"You'll find out once we enter. It's a fun mode... though a bit scary."

March 7th shuddered slightly, already imagining terrifying horror movie scenes in her head.

"Ehh~ Horror stories always start like this. A group of people walks into a dark, bottomless cave, and then one by one, they disappear...

Finally. Finally—"

Kevin playfully tapped Kiana's shoulder and whispered something in her ear.

Hearing this, Kiana was confused.

"Why are you tapping March's shoulder?"

Kevin grinned mischievously.

"Just do it. Pat her on the shoulder, and everything will fall into place."

Kiana shrugged and did as told, tapping March 7th on the shoulder.

Already a little tense, March 7th jumped at the unexpected touch.

"Eek! Ghost! Himeko, save me!"

She immediately clung to Himeko, hiding behind her.

Seeing March 7th's reaction, Kiana and Kevin burst into laughter.

Realizing she had been pranked, March 7th stomped her foot in anger.

"Kiana! Why did you scare me?!"

Kiana pointed at Kevin innocently.

"Kevin told me to do it."

March 7th immediately turned her glare to Kevin.

"Kevin! You're so dead!"

She readied her bow, drawing back an arrow.

Kevin tried to dodge, but Ying suddenly hugged him from behind, restraining him.

Ying giggled.

"Kevin, accept your punishment!"

March 7th released her shot. The arrow struck Kevin, making him yelp in mock agony before falling dramatically to the ground.

Yuri clapped his hands to regain their attention.

"Alright, alright. Enough messing around. Let's focus on the dungeon."

Everyone quieted down as Yuri examined the dungeon details.

CFGO Biochemical Mode:

Dungeon Map: Block 13

Game Rules: 32 players total, divided into two teams: biochemical zombies and human mercenaries. There are 17 rounds, each lasting 20 minutes.

Win Conditions: If the timer runs out and not all humans are infected, humans win. Otherwise, zombies win.

Scoring: Mercenaries gain 1 point per 1,000 damage dealt to zombies. Zombies gain 1 point per infection.

Rewards: The top three players with the highest scores receive 3,000, 2,000, and 1,000 Stellar Jade, respectively.

Kevin and the others registered and waited on the side for the lobby to fill up. The game required 32 players to start.

As time passed, more people arrived.

Ningguang, Yelan, and others.

Jean, Lisa, and others.

Jing Yuan, Huaiyan, and others.

Asmodeus and Nahida.

Soon, 32 players were assembled, and they were teleported into the game map.

After landing, Kiana looked around and saw a few familiar faces nearby.

She spotted Kevin, March 7th, Zhongli, Jing Yuan, and Nahida.

Kiana attempted to move but quickly realized her feet wouldn't budge.

Kevin, standing nearby, chuckled.

"The game hasn't started yet. The rules are still being explained. Once the countdown ends, we can move."

Kiana relaxed and took a moment to observe the surroundings.

The map was set in an abandoned neighborhood, dim streetlights flickering ominously. The eerie atmosphere sent shivers down her spine.

Soon, the system's voice echoed.

[Game Mode: CFGO Biochemical Mode]

[Dungeon Map: Block 13]

[Game Details:

Players are divided into two teams: Biochemical Zombies and Human Mercenaries.

There are 17 rounds, each lasting 20 minutes.

If all humans are infected, zombies win. If time runs out, humans win.

Scoring: 1 point per 1,000 damage dealt to zombies; 1 point per successful infection.

Rewards: 1st place: 3,000 Stellar Jade, 2nd place: 2,000 Stellar Jade, 3rd place: 1,000 Stellar Jade.]

[Choose your main weapon and secondary weapon carefully. You only get one choice.]

Everyone quickly began selecting their weapons.

Kiana glanced at Kevin, observing his choice.

Kevin equipped his Negev heavy machine gun. March 7th chose a sniper rifle.

After some thought, Kiana selected an AK-47.

Kevin waved his hand eagerly.

"Alright, let's go fight some zombies! Who's the zombie leader? Step forward!"

Zhongli calmly held his shotgun.

"The countdown hasn't ended yet. We'll know the zombie leaders once it does."

Kevin nodded and motioned for March 7th and Kiana to follow him. They climbed onto a high container to wait.

In the game, everyone's physical stats were balanced to match an ordinary human.

As seconds ticked by, the players formed small teams and took strategic positions.

Kevin spotted Hu Tao and Huo Huo nearby and waved.

"Hu Tao! Huo Huo! Over here!"

Hearing him, Hu Tao and Huo Huo quickly climbed onto the container to join them.

Kevin pulled the bolt on his gun confidently.

"Just watch. I'm about to lead humanity to victory!"

Just then, the countdown ended, and a glowing light marked two players.

[Biochemical Zombie Leaders: Kevin, Jing Yuan]

Hu Tao, Huo Huo, March 7th, and Kiana were all stunned.

No way. That's so unlucky.

Kevin's body transformed into a biochemical zombie, with only his head retaining human features.

Grinning menacingly, Kevin bared his claws.

"I will lead the zombie horde to victory!"

Without hesitation, he grabbed Huo Huo and infected her.

March 7th and Kiana immediately opened fire.

Kevin stumbled backward and fell off the container.

Hu Tao quickly reloaded, sighing in relief.

"Phew~ Good thing we reacted fast. We took Kevin down."

Just then, Hu Tao felt a chill run down her spine.

She turned around—only to see that Huo Huo had already infected March 7th and Kiana.

March 7th lunged at Hu Tao.

"Gotcha!"

Hu Tao was in tears. She had been so focused on fighting off Kevin that she had forgotten—Huo Huo was infected too.

Hu Tao, Huo Huo, March 7th, and Kiana stepped down from the container, their faces grim. Across from them, Kevin stood with a wicked smile.

"Hey, hey, let's go, my little brothers! Follow me to catch someone!"

Around him, several figures who had already turned into zombies rushed forward, eager to spread the infection.

Kevin's gaze locked onto five figures—Qin, Lisa, Kaeya, Ying, and Nahida—who were perched atop a wall, desperately holding their ground.

Kevin waved his hand.

"Go! Infect them! Join the glorious evolution!"

He took the lead, climbing the wall with inhuman speed. The moment he pulled himself up, Qin fired her M4, knocking him back down.

One after another, Hu Tao, March 7th, and the others surged forward, but the relentless gunfire from Qin's team sent them all tumbling back down.

Hu Tao's sharp eyes caught the dwindling supply of magazines in Qin's group.

"Sisters! Come on! They're running out of bullets!"

Encouraged, Kevin and his undead allies redoubled their attack, scaling the wall with renewed vigor.

Less than a minute later, only one magazine remained in the hands of the human defenders.

Seeing the inevitable, Ying made a split-second decision. She leaped off the wall and bolted into the distance.

Kiana noticed immediately.

"Oh no, you don't! Where are you running to, Ying?"

Zombies were twice as fast as humans. Kiana sprinted after her, her claw slashing through the air. In mere seconds, Ying was caught and infected.

Ying wanted to cry. If she had just stayed, she could have used her last magazine—maybe even scored some points.

Moments after Ying fell, the last defenses of Qin, Kaeya, Lisa, and Nahida crumbled as well.

Elsewhere, Jing Yuan led Qingque, Yanqing, Amber, and Eula in an assault against the Liyue team, commanded by Zhongli.

Huaiyan, Jiaoqiu, Feixiao, and others joined Zhongli's forces, fighting desperately to repel the zombie onslaught.

Zhongli, ever the strategist, gave his orders with calm authority.

"Only three people should fire at a time. The rest, stay on guard and conserve ammunition."

He had chosen the second-floor corridor in the center of the map, where the density of humans made it harder for zombies to overrun them. For the moment, Jing Yuan's team had no choice but to keep pressing, hoping to deplete their ammo supply.

Zhongli glanced at the countdown. Thirteen minutes remained. At this rate, they could hold.

But then Kevin and his infected crew arrived, drawn by the sound of gunfire. Eight more zombies flooded the battlefield.

The pressure on Zhongli's team increased exponentially. Every bullet had to count.

Kevin lunged at Keqing. She instinctively raised her gun and pulled the trigger—

Click.

Empty.

She barely dodged Kevin's claw, rolling to the side. He grinned.

"Hehe, you can't run, Keqing! Just let me infect you!"

He leaped at her—his body glowing faintly.

Keqing gritted her teeth. There was no escape. If she was going down, she'd do it fighting.

With a swift motion, she pulled out a dagger and struck, driving it deep into Kevin's skull.

His body disintegrated into light, and his soul hovered where he once stood.

Kevin was stunned.

What just happened?

A system prompt echoed in the air.

[Keqing gains 1 point for killing the mother body, Kevin, with a knife. Zombies killed by melee weapons cannot be resurrected.]

Kevin felt numb.

How humiliating. He was the mother zombie—and he'd been stabbed to death by a human mercenary.

Keqing wasted no time. She reloaded her weapon and returned to the fray.

Little did she know, Silver Wolf had been lying low at a traffic light nearby, her silenced sniper rifle picking off zombies one by one.

She smirked at the leaderboard—five points ahead of the second-place player.

"Hmph. Numbers mean nothing. Zombies can resurrect. But survival—that's what wins games."

She fired calculated shots, ensuring she wouldn't draw too much attention.

With only five minutes remaining, Zhongli's team ran out of bullets.

Zhongli pulled out a dagger.

"Everyone, bayonets! Fight!"

Ningguang, Feixiao, and the others followed suit, charging into the horde.

The outcome was inevitable. They were overwhelmed and infected.

Silver Wolf glanced at the timer, packed away her sniper rifle, and remained motionless on her perch.

The zombies searched frantically. Just as the final minute ticked away, someone spotted her.

Kevin pointed.

"There she is!"

Kiana followed his gaze.

"How did she get up there?"

Zhongli surveyed the area.

"There. The second-floor balcony—you can jump to her from there."

Kiana took the lead, sprinting up to the second floor and launching herself toward Silver Wolf.

Just as she thought she had her—

Silver Wolf fired two shots from her VSS.

Midair, Kiana's body locked up. She fell to the ground, infected before she even landed.

One by one, every zombie who tried the same tactic met the same fate.

The clock hit zero.

[Humanity wins. Surviving humans gain two extra points.]

Silver Wolf exhaled, blowing away the smoke from her barrel.

"Phew. Done."

Eight points. A satisfying lead.

The second game began.

Zhongli gathered everyone.

"We all stick together! If the mother zombies appear, we fight them off as a unit. No one gets picked off like last time."

Everyone followed Zhongli to a high container, accessible only by a single route. The gap between containers required a jump, making it difficult for zombies to approach.

Thirty-two players filled the area, tense and alert, watching their surroundings.

The countdown ended.

[This game's mother zombies: Silver Wolf, Feixiao.]

Without hesitation, Silver Wolf and Feixiao attacked.

In seconds, the entire human team was wiped out.

[Game over. Biochemical zombies win. All zombies gain two extra points.]

Game three.

Hu Tao glanced at Zhongli.

"Keqing, got any ideas?"

Zhongli thought for a moment.

"I have another plan. Everyone, follow me!"

He led the group toward the traffic lights and a nearby wall.

"Those on the traffic light will cover those on the wall. If anyone turns, shoot them down immediately!"

But this time, the mother zombies struck directly at the traffic lights, eliminating the high-ground advantage.

Without sufficient firepower, the humans on the wall fell one by one.

The infection spread.

Game four.

Zhongli paused, deep in thought.

"Everyone! I have a plan!"

Hu Tao heard this and, without a word, quietly took Huo Huo and slipped away.