Chapter 57 Working for free, I'll lend you a door first.

Xu Feng turned around stiffly, walking toward the Eighth Floor with heavy steps.

Every step felt like it was lead-filled.

He didn't know how to go back and face those seventeen pairs of expectant eyes.

When he opened the scarred door of Dormitory 811 on the Eighth Floor, everyone in the room suddenly sprang up from the floor.

Over a dozen gazes instantly focused on him, filled with tension and hope.

"Brother Feng, how did it go?"

"Did... did he agree?"

Ling Hao was the first to rush forward, grabbing his arm tightly, his voice trembling: "That cooperation, he agreed to it, right?!"

Looking at the almost fanatical expectation on everyone's faces, Xu Feng felt as if a wad of cotton was stuffed in his throat, unable to say a single word.

He only slowly and heavily shook his head.

"He... refused."

Boom!

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over their heads.

The flame of hope that had just ignited in the Dormitory was instantly extinguished.

"Why?!" Ling Hao roared in disbelief, "This is a free-profit deal for him! Why would he refuse?!"

"Yeah, Brother Feng, it's a guaranteed profit. Is he out of his mind?"

"It's over... it's completely over now..."

Desperate wails and questioning voices instantly exploded in the cramped Dormitory.

Xu Feng's expression was even worse than theirs. He curled his lips bitterly, his voice raspy.

"He said... he's unwilling to bear the risk of us borrowing without returning."

"More importantly..."

Xu Feng scanned the crowd who had fallen into complete despair and said word by word: "He asked me, why can't he just do it himself?"

All the noisy sounds came to an abrupt halt.

The anger on Ling Hao's face froze.

The expressions of the others also changed from despair to daze, followed by a deeper silence.

Right...

He has countless resources, can easily organize manpower, and has the strength...

Why should he share this money-making opportunity with them?

And bear the risk too?

The "win-win plan" they were so proud of was nothing more than a joke in his eyes.

Looking at the crowd that had fallen into complete silence, Xu Feng took a deep breath, as if using up all his strength.

"However... he gave us another proposal."

Everyone suddenly looked up, and a tiny spark of fire reignited in their extinguished eyes.

"He's willing to provide 'ammunition,' which is Iron Material, and we'll be responsible for the work."

"But..." Xu Feng swallowed hard.

"When we take action, he will stand behind us to supervise. If we make any move we shouldn't, he will strike immediately."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expressions changed drastically.

To completely entrust one's back to a stranger whose strength was seemingly unfathomable?

What was the difference between this and stretching one's neck out to someone's blade?

"Also," Xu Feng's voice grew even lower.

"All the copper coins dropped by the cleared zombies will belong to him."

"What?!" Ling Hao exploded again. "Why?! We work ourselves to death while he stands by and watches, and he gets all the profit? This is fucking recruiting slaves!"

"Exactly! What's the difference between this and working for him for free!"

"We take the risks, we fight with our lives, and he makes all the money? In his dreams!"

Opposing voices rose one after another, more intense than before.

"Because he told us that the zombies in the fourth-floor corridor were cleared using this exact method."

This single sentence from Xu Feng made everyone shut their mouths again.

He looked at the "seen a ghost" expressions on their faces and continued: "That so-called plan of ours, he has already successfully implemented it long ago."

Everyone was completely speechless, leaving only heavy breathing and powerless despondency.

"However, he promised one thing." Xu Feng finally threw out the only, and last, bargaining chip.

"As long as we use this method every day for the remaining days of the Novice Period to help him clear all the zombies that spawn on the Eighth Floor, and all the profits go to him..."

"...he's willing to lend us the materials first to upgrade our door directly to Level 4!"

A Level 4 Gate?!

The entire Dormitory instantly became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

"A Level 4 Gate... then... how high would its defense and durability be?" a boy muttered to himself.

"And, he's lending us the materials to upgrade first..."

Ling Hao's eyes lit up too. "In other words, we could have a Level 4 Gate tonight?"

Xu Feng nodded: "That's right. The 240 units of Wood material, 50 units of Iron Material, and 50 units of Stone Material needed to upgrade from a Level 3 Gate have a total value of over 1,300 copper coins. He's counting it as 1,300 as a discount, which he can lend to us to pay back slowly later."

"As for the food and water we need ourselves, we'll have to rely on ourselves to hunt extra zombies and buy them from him with the copper coins we earn after completing his 'missions'."

Now, everyone fell silent.

Although the conditions were extreme to the point of selling themselves into servitude.

However, having a Level 4 Gate in advance...

The temptation was too great!

It meant they could gain a sense of security far beyond what they had now; it meant they could survive!

"Let's do it!" Ling Hao gritted his teeth and was the first to state his position.

"Damn it, isn't it just being a laborer for him for a few days? It's better than having zombies rush in and bite us to death tonight!"

"I agree too! As long as I can survive, I'll work like an ox or a horse!"

"Do it!"

The desire to survive ultimately overrode everything else.

...

Soon, under Su Ze's "supervision," a tragic yet efficient slaughter unfolded in the Eighth Floor corridor.

Bang!

Roar—!

The roars of zombies, the sound of iron chunks piercing the air, and the dull thuds of crushing skulls intertwined into a bloody symphony.

And not far behind them.

Su Ze leaned leisurely against the wall, fiddling with a long spear, like a foreman watching all this with cold eyes.

The zombies on the entire Eighth Floor were being rapidly cleared under the frantic throwing of the fourteen boys.

When the last zombie vanished into points of light, the entire corridor finally returned to emptiness and silence.

All fourteen boys collapsed on the ground in exhaustion, panting heavily, without even the strength to move a finger.

Su Ze sent a private message to Liu Qiaofei and the others.

Soon, the three girls—Liu Qiaofei, Su Meier, and Yao Qingya—walked up from the stairwell.

They skillfully picked up all the scattered copper coins on the ground one by one, without even glancing at the group of boys lying there like dead dogs.

Xu Feng and his brothers just lay on the ground, watching helplessly as those three incredibly beautiful women took away all the spoils they had fought so hard for.

They of course recognized these women.

The freshman campus belle Liu Qiaofei, and the talented junior campus belle Yao Qingya.

And Su Meier, the well-known, glamorous, and charming supermarket proprietress.

They also knew that even the famous, cold, and elegant Counselor Jiang Yuwan had moved into Dormitory 404.

On their side, over a dozen people were working themselves to death and could barely get a bite to eat.

On the other side, he was already keeping four stunning goddesses.

The gap between people was large enough to drive one to despair.

Su Ze dropped a pile of pre-prepared Wood material, Stone Material, and Iron Material at the door of 811, fulfilling the agreement.

"Same time tomorrow, continue."

Leaving behind these words, he departed with the three women without looking back.

"Brother Feng..." a boy looked at Su Ze's departing back and said raspy, "Are we... really going to spend the next six days like this?"

Xu Feng climbed up from the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, and looked at the empty corridor.

"At least we'll be much safer tonight."

"Everyone get up, upgrade the door to Level 4, and then take turns keeping watch. The rest of you, hurry up and get some rest!"

...

Su Ze didn't return to the Dormitory; instead, he went to a Teaching Building alone.

He found a classroom at random and lured several zombies inside out into the corridor.

As he emitted a series of strange syllables from his throat, those restless zombies instantly quieted down. They regarded him as one of their own and began to wander aimlessly in the corridor.

Only then did he calmly return to the classroom and lock the door.

To be safe, he took out two pieces of Iron Material from his backpack and carefully balanced them on the two door handles. If someone opened or rammed the door from the outside, the iron pieces would fall, which would be enough to wake him up.

After all, he still couldn't completely trust his tenants. Moreover, since Jiang Yuwan and the others needed to frequently enter and exit to restock goods for sale, the door couldn't be locked tight.

Coupled with the knowledge that explosives now existed, he actually felt more at ease here.

He then remotely traded a lot of supplies to Jiang Yuwan so she could sell them.

He also set the private messages from the women as special alerts, so if they had something urgent, he would be woken up immediately.

After finishing all this, he walked behind the podium, leaned against it, and fell into a deep sleep.

This sleep lasted directly until eight o'clock in the evening.

There were only four hours left before the zombies would reappear at midnight.

Su Ze stretched and walked back to the Dormitory building, full of energy.

Arriving at the fourth-floor corridor, there weren't many people left at the Trading Point, making it feel a bit deserted.

The four women—Jiang Yuwan, Yao Qingya, Liu Qiaofei, and Su Meier—were sitting in a circle on a blanket near the door, chatting in low voices.

Not far away, those thirty-odd girls had also woken up. They gathered in small groups but showed no intention of leaving, clearly planning to stick close to Su Ze.

Seeing Su Ze return, Jiang Yuwan immediately stood up, holding a small notebook.

"The trading time is basically over. I'll report today's earnings to you."