Chapter 1

"Is everyone here?"

"Where is this?! I have to get back to work! What am I going to do about my perfect attendance bonus this month?" A white-collar man in a suit clutched his briefcase, anxiously grabbing the arm of the bald man in front and asking urgently.

"Tsk, newbies are such a hassle." Brother Zhan casually flicked his cigarette butt away, clapped his hands together, and said, "Listen up. This is the Infinite Escape Game, and I'm a veteran player leading you through the Beginner Instance."

Mu Li melted into the crowd, quickly scanning his surroundings to assess the situation.

He was in a dilapidated wooden cabin, a single room now packed with people—around thirty in total, by his rough count.

He stood in a corner, leaning against the rough wooden walls, motionless, terrified of being discovered.

He had heard every word of the conversation between the two men, but he still couldn't accept the reality of being transported into the Infinite Escape Game. In his era, novels about the Infinite Escape Game were considered outdated trash.

Who could have imagined that Mu Li, an outstanding student who had just graduated from Omega school and was about to enter society to find his true Alpha, would be forced into this game?

Everything had been thrown into disarray. Even his usually good-tempered self was feeling slightly agitated, his temples throbbing faintly.

He didn't know if this world even had ABO genders. If not, how would he survive his monthly heat cycles?

This was more concerning than mere survival. If his heat cycles came, he might be able to endure the first few times. But as a fully developed Omega, without suppressants, his heat cycles would only grow more intense with each cycle, until his body couldn't take it anymore—until death.

The door of the log cabin opened, and a transparent screen materialized before everyone:

Dear Player, welcome to the Infinite Escape Game. The livestream will begin in 10 seconds. If you have any questions, you can click on the Player Guide in the bottom right corner. The System is available to answer your questions at any time.

Current Beginner Instance: Zombie Campus Survival.

Please exit the Transition Cabin and follow the veteran players to the Beginner Instance.

Mu Li trailed at the very end. The moment he stepped out, two beeps sounded in his ear, and a Livestream Screen materialized before his eyes.

Checking out the newbies' creative ways to die.

Hope they all get a quick death, hahaha.

This new guy is so handsome. Hope he doesn't die too fast, let me get a few more looks.

Everyone knows good-looking people die fast. Pretty faces have no advantage in the Infinite Escape Game.

Lines of floating text scrolled across the screen. Mu Li frowned and, drawing on his experience with Optical Computers, dismissed the screen.

According to the System, they needed to follow the flat-topped man in front to the Beginner Instance. The System had also told them its name: Zombie Campus.

Mu Li had once been obsessed with online novels. When he heard "zombie," he immediately pictured mindless monsters tearing flesh and blood. In this peaceful interstellar era, such creatures had long since vanished. Even if one appeared, it would be reduced to dust by energy cannons.

This was his first time facing zombies head-on.

Mu Li's pale lips pressed together, his beautiful eyes furrowed, exuding a faint aura of melancholy.

He was merely a weak Omega with very low combat ability. At school, he had majored in artsy skills like cooking, tea ceremony, and flower arrangement—skills that refined one's temperament.

Not like the Alphas, who studied combat, survival, and how to decapitate enemies.

He wasn't one to give up easily. Since he was here, he was determined to find his own way to survive.

As a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, his steps involuntarily slowed.

Mu Li had already been at the back of the team, and now he was falling far behind. In the dense fog, he could only see the blurred silhouettes of the main group.

A bad feeling washed over him, and he quickened his pace, trying to catch up.

But he got lost.

As the fog gradually dissipated, Mu Li's anxiety grew. He opened his Livestream Screen to check the comments.

Another idiot. The outcome for someone who can't keep up with the group in the fog is obvious, isn't it?

Ah, what a waste of that face. It'll be torn to shreds by monsters in no time.

I shouldn't have expected anything from a rookie. How did I even make it this far?

I saw it coming when he started spacing out. Anyone who zones out in this tense atmosphere is either truly stupid or has a secret ace. Now it's clear—he's just plain stupid.

Reading these cruel words, Mu Li didn't cry or break down. He was indeed annoyed; he'd thought there would be no danger before entering the instance, only to end up in such an awkward situation.

But he also gleaned information from the comments: deadly monsters lurked in the mist. He needed to stay alert and focus on finding the path to the Beginner Instance.

As the mist thinned, Mu Li could see the surroundings clearly—a city, abandoned for ages. Ivy climbed the tall buildings, and the walls of old residential blocks were cracked, revealing the tattered fabric sofas inside.

With no monsters in sight, Mu Li grew even more cautious. The bloodthirsty creatures might be lurking in the shadows.

Mu Li's hearing was exceptionally sharp. In the silent city, he held his breath and could hear the faint, chaotic sound of countless footsteps about a kilometer away.

That was likely where the monsters were.

He cautiously avoided the direction and slipped into the city park.

In the abandoned city, plants had grown wildly. The park had become a disaster zone, its dense canopy of leaves blocking out the sky. Mu Li could barely make out the path beneath his feet through the slivers of light filtering through the foliage.

He didn't regret coming here; it was the quietest place he could find.

Since seeing the Desolate City, his desire to find the path to the Beginner Instance had faded. The terrain was too treacherous. Wandering recklessly in search of the path would only increase his chances of dying.

Better to stay low-profile for now. The System hadn't issued any warnings, and surviving in the Desolate City wasn't so bad.

Mu Li moved with light steps, accustomed to concealing his presence. Even in this environment, his presence remained faint.

Suddenly, his expression tensed, and he lunged to the side, falling into a pile of fallen leaves.

The instant he fell, a smaller monster swooped down, its sharp claws and fangs glinting with a cold, metallic light. The failed ambush elicited a piercing shriek from the creature's mouth.

Mu Li didn't panic. He calmly rose to his feet and scrambled deeper into the dense forest, seeking cover among the trees. The dense foliage offered some protection against the monster's attacks.

Perhaps the first monster's cry had alerted others, as Mu Li soon heard the sounds of multiple pursuers closing in. He fled wildly, his arms and calves crisscrossed with cuts of varying severity—some from branches, others from the near-successful monster attacks.

His strength rapidly depleted. In the depths of the forest, he stumbled upon a peculiar building and collapsed at its entrance, using his last ounce of energy.

This is it, then, Mu Li thought with a bitter smile. With no survival experience, he had already lasted longer than he'd ever expected.

He squeezed his eyes shut, awaiting death.

Creak...

The door opened. Mu Li turned his head to look at the large doorway beside him. Had someone come? Or was it an even more terrifying monster?

A tall figure emerged from the darkness. The moment Mu Li saw his face, he froze. Even in an era of genetically optimized humans across the galaxy, he had never seen such a strikingly handsome youth—beautiful without being effeminate, like a meticulously crafted doll.

The man appeared to be in poor health, his face pale as he coughed violently. The white handkerchief he used to cover his lips was already soaked with blood.

He noticed Mu Li lying at the doorway, his expression unchanged.

After a moment, the youth spoke, "Could you... do me a favor?"

As he spoke, Mu Li could feel the man's aura growing weaker, his voice becoming faint and breathless, as if he were on the verge of death.

Mu Li, having regained some strength, stood up and instinctively helped the mysterious stranger to his feet. "There are still monsters outside."

The youth pulled at his lips. "The monsters are already gone."

Mu Li's eyes widened. He turned to look behind him, and the monster had indeed vanished without a trace.

He had assumed the creature was merely unable to enter the building and would still be lurking nearby.

"What do you need help with?" Mu Li felt no wariness toward the handsome youth. With the immediate danger passed, he found it difficult to maintain his guard against this mysterious stranger. Instead, he secretly hoped he could be of assistance.

"I... have a map to my home. Put it in your System Space, and it will show you the way." The youth's face grew even paler, his eyes half-closed as he leaned against the doorframe. "Please take me home."

Mu Li was in a predicament. Getting the young man home wasn't the problem, but the youth was a good half-head taller than him. How was he supposed to get him back?

As if sensing his confusion, the young man pointed in a direction before passing out: "My car is over there... drive..."

Before he could finish, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and completely lost consciousness.

Seeing the young man's frail, dying state, Mu Li let his guard down. He retrieved the car keys from the youth's pants pocket, dragged him inch by inch to the car, and lifted him into the back seat.

After feeding the map to the System and starting the car, Mu Li wondered, Wasn't he afraid I might be a bad guy? If it were anyone else, collapsing so easily could have led to murder and robbery.

After a few muttered complaints, Mu Li focused on following the guidance arrow and drove onto the main road.

It was strange—since he'd gotten into the car, the monsters had completely disappeared. Even the loud noise of the car didn't attract a single one.

This young man must be no ordinary person.

After driving for what felt like a long time, he finally entered a small town. Compared to the previous Desolate City, this town was much cleaner and had a lived-in feel.

As he drove into a residential area, the guidance arrow pointed to the base of Building 5. Mu Li parked nearby.

But he didn't know the specific apartment number.

Mu Li looked at the young man in the back seat, stuck again.