There was no response from inside, even after a few seconds.
Leonard mustered up his courage and twisted the doorknob.
The door creaked open.
He looked inside.
The room was small and empty.
It was nearly identical to Leonard's own, just a bed, a nightstand, and a foggy window.
Apparently, not every dorm room housed a player. Some were vacant.
Leonard stepped in and opened the drawer of the nightstand.
Since he was here to collect resources, he had to check thoroughly.
And he actually found something.
Inside the drawer were a roll of duct tape and a parts box.
Could these really be useful?
Leonard was doubtful. He picked them up, inspected them, then placed them back on the table.
Meanwhile, someone in the admin group had noticed Leonard's actions.
[This player named Zore just found crucial upgrade materials and actually put them back.]
[Our game doesn't have a detailed tutorial. Everyone starts off completely clueless.]
[These are essential for upgrading dorm rooms! Especially the doors.They're the first line of defense against zombies!]
Leonard was secretly watching the admin chat and saw those messages.
So these materials were that important?
And they could upgrade the dorm?
Leonard immediately picked up the duct tape and parts box again and stuffed them into his pockets.
Time to keep searching!
He left the room and stood before the next door.
Knock, knock, knock...
Leonard still chose to knock first. If someone was inside, he didn't want to barge in.
No response again. Probably another empty room.
He opened the door. Inside were a broom, a trash bin, and the usual nightstand.
"Don't tell me even the broom is useful. Can I use it to fight zombies?"
Leonard muttered to himself.
He walked over and opened the nightstand drawer.
Duct tape and a parts box again.
The box was heavy, filled with screws, gears, springs, and other bits.
Leonard gathered the materials and turned to leave but then doubled back.
His pockets were full already. The trash bin could work as a container.
He placed the gathered supplies into the trash bin.
As for the broom, he had a sudden idea.
He placed it at an angle between the bed and the floor, raised his leg, and stomped hard on the upper part.
Crack!
The wooden broom handle snapped in two, the broken end sharp and jagged.
It could barely pass for a weapon.
Primitive people used tools like this for combat.
Leonard held it in his hand, feeling a bit safer.
[Acquired poor-quality weapon: "Improvised Wooden Spike" – Attack: 2]
A notification popped up.
"It actually counts as a weapon? Wooden spike? Why not just call it dagger?"
Leonard grumbled.
Now he held the wooden spike in his left hand and carried the trash bin in his right.
He was left-handed, so naturally, he held the weapon in his dominant hand.
Leonard stepped out.
Someone else had appeared in the hallway. A tall, burly man stepping out of another room.
The man was massive, with a thick, muscular frame and an intimidating face.
Leonard was too focused on scavenging. He glanced at the man briefly and hurried away.
The muscleman looked confused.
Soon, more people cautiously stepped out of their rooms, all wearing the same uniform, blue with white stripes, like prison clothes.
They started talking face to face.
It turned out they'd all been dragged here without warning.
One person said they were just walking down the street when they suddenly ended up here.
With more people gathered, they began to feel braver.
"All the room numbers start with 8, we're probably on the eighth floor. Let's head down."
"Yeah, what are we doing staying here like idiots? Let's get out and call the police."
"What's up with that guy? He's weird.Carrying a trash bin and poking around in every room."
They noticed Leonard's strange behavior.
He was the only one actively scavenging, minding his own business, totally out of sync with the group.
It was a stark contrast.
"I saw him busy earlier."
"He knocked on my door and scared me half to death."
"Hah, maybe he's just trying to grab some loot before he leaves."
"He looks like a nutjob. Let's just ignore him."
There were five of them now.Enough for a group.
They started looking for a way downstairs.
Just before they left, one of them called out to Leonard:
"Hey ! We're heading downstairs to find an exit. Are you coming or not?"
"No."
Leonard's refusal was swift and firm.
His reasoning was simple. With a game this well-made, there was no way it had such an obvious flaw.
The map must be sealed.
Go downstairs and leave just like that?
Impossible.
His refusal only made the others dislike him more.
"Fine, whatever! We try to be nice and this is what we get. Go back to digging through your trash!"
"Let's go, forget that lunatic."
"Told you we didn't need him. Five's enough. We'll probably find others on the way."
The group moved on.
They found the elevator, but it was broken. Pressing the button did nothing.
So they took the stairs.
Back in the admin group, people were chatting about them too.
[Some players have started going downstairs.]
[Their reaction when they see the corpses on the stairs is going to be priceless.]
[They're walking straight into a dead end. No way out.]
Leonard skimmed the admin chat, then returned to his scavenging.
Compared to the player group, the admin messages were far more valuable. That's where his focus stayed.
He soon filled the trash bin and brought it back to his room, dumping it all on the bed.
[This Zore guy started acting early. I like him.]
[The game needs some standout players to keep things interesting.]
[But using a trash bin to carry stuff is too inefficient. Once he finds Room 827 and gets the dimensional backpack, it'll be much easier.]
Dimensional backpack?
Leonard's eyes lit up when he read that.
Could it be what he thought it was?
If so, that would be huge.
But he couldn't just rush there and grab it.That would be too obvious and might alert the admins.
If they found out a player had infiltrated the admin chat, it'd be a disaster!
That admin group was his biggest advantage. He couldn't afford to lose it.
So he had to play along.
Pretend nothing was wrong, casually search nearby rooms, and naturally make his way to Room 827.
Once there, he calmly opened the door.
He looked inside and jumped in shock.
Two bloody corpses were sprawled across the floor.