The city began to descend into chaos. No one cared anymore that Ethan and his group were fully armed and looked ready for war.

But they did not continue moving on the wide avenues, because those main roads were packed with too many people, cars, and zombies, making it easy to get surrounded. The few new reincarnators decided to continue traversing the relatively secluded side streets. They would still encounter zombies here, of course, and while the narrower spaces were easier to get blocked in, they also made it easier for the few people with weapons to eliminate the monsters that could only charge from the front.

"It is said that the survivors in the Resident Evil games managed to escape cities overrun by zombies and various monsters because of the escape routes they chose, trying to move through these less populated side streets and avoiding the vast majority of zombie hordes and large mutated monsters."

After encountering zombies several times, Zhang Yi, Zhou Shulin, and Wang Hai, the new recruits, had already started to learn how to properly use the weapons in their hands.

The 9mm Glock was well-suited for these beginners in terms of weight, recoil, and magazine capacity, especially the fact that they did not have to repeatedly engage and disengage the safety, allowing them to enter combat mode correctly.

Because their progress was smooth, Wang Hai even specifically had Zhao Ying shoot and kill a zombie that was left just for her.

Zhao Ying's legs were trembling with fear, but she still faced the monster and fired. Although she emptied the entire magazine without killing the zombie opposite her, actually firing a gun made a slight difference compared to before.

The few new recruits were growing at a visible speed. Chen Peng felt that as long as they could successfully survive this trial, they should do well in the Main God's Space in the future. At least the share from the next three real missions seemed guaranteed.

"As long as nothing particularly unexpected happens..."

He tilted his head slightly and glanced at Ethan next to him. Ethan had been very calm throughout the journey, showing no particular reaction to the frequent appearance of zombies. The automatic rifle in his hand never roared wildly. It only fired occasionally, headshotting some extremely dangerous zombies that were about to threaten the new recruits.

Chen Peng, who had been observing Ethan, naturally noticed that Ethan almost never made a mistake. Almost every shot could take down an enemy.

At the same time, his movements for changing magazines and casually tucking the empty ones into the mesh pouch on his waist were also extremely practiced, like a veteran soldier who had seen much combat.

"Ahem, is your performance not a bit too obvious?"

During a stop to check their surroundings, Chen Peng walked aside as if to smoke, taking the opportunity to chat with Ethan.

Ethan knew he still wanted to figure out his purpose, but his purpose was really just to come and have fun. Unfortunately, the other party would not believe such a truth.

"I am just proficient with guns."

Ethan leaned against a wall, refilling the empty magazines in his mesh pouch while observing the new recruits around him.

The new recruits were also taking the opportunity to do similar things, refilling their empty magazines, and drinking some water or eating chocolate-like snacks to replenish energy.

Those with good stamina, like Zhou Shulin and Zhang Yi, were wandering around checking corners, while those with poor stamina, like Wang Hai, were already sitting aside. However, Wang Hai, the Fat Man, was good at dealing with people. He took the empty magazines from Zhou Shulin and Zhang Yi and helped them reload, doing what he could.

So no one complained about him taking advantage of the break to slack off.

"How did you end up in the novice trial?"

This was a question Chen Peng had been unable to figure out. Although many rules in the Main God's Space seemed to have loopholes, experienced reincarnators knew that having loopholes did not mean you could use them arbitrarily. Smart people who tried to take advantage of the Main God usually did not end well.

"It was an accident. Actually, I just wanted to find a place to vacation."

"..."

Chen Peng felt that Ethan was teasing him, but looking at his serious expression, could he be telling the truth?

"Vacation? You originally wanted to teleport to a safe world to relax, and you ended up here instead?"

"Pretty much."

Ethan could not explain that he had actually performed a random plane shift, and his teleportation magic had brought him here. He might as well let Chen Peng fill in the blanks himself.

"How could you end up here for a vacation? But for a powerful experienced reincarnator like you, there really is not much difference between this novice world and a vacation."

Chen Peng felt that something must have gone wrong during the teleportation. For an expert who could easily bypass his mental defense items and invade his mind, there was nothing in the novice trial world that could threaten them. Plus, there was a group of naive new recruits performing how to struggle for survival in a doomsday-like town. Was this not like experiencing a disaster movie firsthand?

He just did not know what kind of role he, the novice instructor, was playing in such a movie.

"If it is a vacation, you can leave here anytime, right?"

"Yes, I can leave anytime." Ethan had already confirmed this.

Chen Peng looked again. Zhang Yi and Zhou Shulin had thoroughly checked the surrounding corners and started resting after confirming there was no danger.

He also could not continue staying here and talking to Ethan.

"Hope you have a good time."

Actually, he wanted to warn Ethan not to mess things up, or rather, not to affect their mission, but although he was an experienced reincarnator, the person opposite him was an existence whose strength was unknown but definitely much greater than his. Warning him was simply ridiculous. In the Main God's Space, it was never about who was right, but who was stronger. If your fist was not as powerful as the other person's, you had to endure it even if you were clearly in the right.

So he endured it, only hoping that Ethan would not cause any trouble and would just leave when he had had his fun, or quietly accompany the new recruits in a happy survival game.

Chen Peng did not expect Ethan to be happy enough to lead the rookies directly through the trial. Even if Ethan did that, he had no reason to object. Maybe his future income would be lost, but at least he could get the reward for this mission.

In any case, as long as Ethan did not do anything to threaten them, he could accept it.

After a short rest, everyone continued on their way.

Because the things they carried were too heavy, and they had to constantly detour, fight, and avoid areas with many zombies, the journey, which was not originally very far, was quite difficult. They walked until morning and still had not left this block.

"I wonder if the zombies will be less active during the day?"

After a night of fighting and carrying heavy loads, even Zhou Shulin, who had been moving bricks for many years, felt tired, not physically tired, but mentally exhausted.

As for the others, they were experiencing multiple levels of fatigue, both mental and physical. By this point, they had seen almost no survivors.

"It seems there will not be any side quests like helping survivors in this mission."

Wang Hai took a big gulp of water, finishing a bottle of mineral water directly.

"The novice trial is not that complicated. There are no side quests for you to complete. You just need to complete the main mission, which is to survive."

Wang Hai took a few breaths, feeling much better. He looked up at Chen Peng and Ethan, who were still checking around with a pile of equipment.

"Dude, your stamina is really good."

He was definitely not talking about Chen Peng, the experienced reincarnator, but Ethan, who was a new recruit like them.

"I exercise regularly."

They were currently in a small supermarket. The roller shutter door on the glass wall outside was closed, and the front and back doors were very sturdy, so zombies should not be able to break in.

They chose this place partly because it was suitable for defense, and partly to replenish some bottled water. The large amount of physical exertion was causing them to quickly consume the clean water they carried, and they could not carry too much water.

"I will exercise in the future too."

Wang Hai almost squeezed out each word one by one, his teeth chattering as he spoke.

"Am I having hallucinations from being tired? Why do I feel colder and colder?"

"I feel a bit cold too. Is the air conditioner on in here?"

Zhao Ying looked around and did find an air conditioner, but it was not turned on at all.

Just then, Zhang Yi, who had gone upstairs to check, came back.

"Not very good news. The clouds in the sky are getting thicker and thicker."

Hearing this, several people immediately went upstairs to take a look. They had walked all night and felt a sense of relief when they saw the sun rising. In a city full of zombies, regardless of whether these monsters were afraid of sunlight, having light always gave people a sense of security.

But now, standing by the window on the second floor and looking up at the sky, where was the bright sunlight? Thick dark clouds completely covered the sun, as if it had suddenly turned from day back to night. And it was as if something terrifying was hidden in those thick clouds, ready to fall at any moment.

"How did the weather suddenly turn bad? Did they not say it would not change for another half a month?"

"We cannot rest any longer. We need to move quickly. If the temperature keeps dropping, our current clothes are not thick enough."

The new recruits discussed their next route. Zhao Ying thought they should first look for some clothes nearby, otherwise they would not be able to stand it if it suddenly turned cold halfway through.

Zhang Yi, on the other hand, advocated acting quickly and reaching the target location sooner.

Ethan, however, did not pay attention to what they were saying. He just continued observing the changes in the sky, or rather, the energy changes in this part of the world.

It was very subtle, very natural, just like ordinary climate change. But when he observed carefully, he could feel a hint of artificial traces in it.

"This is getting more and more interesting. It seems this world is not just for vacation after all."

(To be continued.)