After a brief discussion, Bai Mu and Misty Rain took the driver and passenger seats, respectively.
Inside the vehicle, they found a tourist map marking a corn farm. Judging from the information on the map, this car appeared to be a sponsored prize from the farm's owner. The farm had partnered with a popcorn factory to promote their ready-to-eat butter-flavored popcorn. Anyone who bought the snacks had a chance to win a prize, and this car was the grand prize.
And this very corn farm was the final destination for the second phase of their Main Quest.
Looking at the map, there was a river next to the farm, a tributary of the Mississippi River. According to the Script's setting, the military's Evacuation Point should be on the opposite side of the river. The distance was not far, only a little over fifty kilometers.
Misty Rain and the two brothers instantly breathed a sigh of relief. With such a short distance, if everything went smoothly, they would reach the farm tomorrow and complete the Script.
"Buckle your seatbelts," Bai Mu said, stepping on the gas pedal and starting the engine.
The wheels spun, driving the chassis forward. A few Zombies lurking in the corners of the first floor were attracted by the roaring engine, but there were not many. The four of them had already cleared out the surrounding Zombies before getting into the car.
Bai Mu turned the steering wheel, driving straight over the Corpses scattered on the ground. The vehicle sped past, leaving those remaining Zombies far behind in the dust.
After navigating through a narrow pedestrian street, the car merged onto a wide, open road.
This mall had not been built in a particularly high-traffic area. What entered their line of sight was a burning red sunset and distant skyscrapers spaced far apart.
The black glass facades reflected the glow of the setting sun, looking like rows of tombstones erected in the distance.
Both sides of the road were bordered by empty lots. This sprawling mall was located in a somewhat remote part of the city, likely because the land here was cheaper. Looking further ahead, there was a complete set of entertainment facilities; the contractor had developed an amusement park alongside the commercial center.
There were not many Zombies loitering by the roadside, nor were there many crashed cars blocking the way.
As expected, the most difficult part of the first phase of the Main Quest was finding gasoline and saving time.
They had secured a massive advantage right from the start. The bright sun illuminated the obstacles on the road perfectly, and it took Bai Mu only half an hour to drive to the edge of the city. From there, he followed the perimeter roads, tracing a wide arc toward the farm in the west.
The journey was incredibly smooth. Relying on his experience, Bai Mu selected the most optimal routes. Faced with a sudden Zombie outbreak, everyone would frantically flee out of the city. Because of this, the main outbound highways were highly likely to be deadlocked with traffic. Conversely, the old, dilapidated backroads would be much clearer.
In fact, much of the time, they did not even need to stick to the paved roads. Vehicles were not as fragile as people thought. As long as the terrain was relatively flat and free of shattered glass or jagged rocks, one could boldly drive right over it.
During the ride, Misty Rain asked Bai Mu about what had happened inside the Children's Park.
Bai Mu did not hide anything, recounting the entire process to his three teammates like he was telling a story.
Misty Rain drew in a sharp breath. "So you actually held that monster's hand, and then waded into a Swimming Pool full of Corpses to find that doll?"
She did not say this to question Bai Mu, because the fact remained that he had returned completely unscathed from the side of that terrifying creature, even bringing back three jerry cans of gasoline. Her subtext was that he was ridiculously calm to be able to pull off something so horrifying.
Although Great Northern Wilderness had not personally witnessed what the Witch looked like, he could still sense Bai Mu's abnormality from the story's details and Misty Rain's tone.
After all, the can of gasoline he and his brother had acquired was not just handed to them. When they found it, they had encountered a Mutant known as a Jockey.
It was a short, incredibly bouncy creature that dropped down from a ventilation shaft like a facehugger, latching firmly onto Great Northern Wilderness's hard hat.
It was only thanks to a forceful swing from his brother that the creature was smashed to the floor. Then, between a hammer and a machete, the two of them butchered the Jockey into a corpse.
If he had faced the Jockey alone, Great Northern Wilderness absolutely would not have survived. The thing had clamped onto his head in a death grip, completely obstructing his vision. Furthermore, its physical strength was astonishing. No matter how hard he pulled, he could not pry the Jockey off. He had almost thought his neck was going to be snapped.
Fortunately, he always wore his hard hat, and his brother had found a melee weapon before they entered the restroom, reacting swiftly enough to knock the Jockey away. Otherwise, he was certain he would have died if he were by himself.
Judging from these occurrences, Paradise had clearly designed specific challenges for acquiring the gasoline cans. It was just like playing a video game; important resources were naturally guarded by monsters.
If a single can of gasoline was protected by a dangerous Mutant like a Jockey, one could only imagine the strength of the Mutant guarding three cans.
Yet Bai Mu had not only secured the gasoline, but he had also completed a Side Quest related to that very Mutant. This could not be explained away by mere luck. In such an environment, just maintaining one's composure required an incredibly strong state of mind.
Initially, Great Northern Wilderness assumed that Misty Rain was the one who obtained the gasoline. After hearing what had actually transpired, he realized he was wrong. It turned out that the real heavy lifter of their group was this E-grade player.
No wonder Misty Rain had decided to let Bai Mu drive without a second thought.
After experiencing the two-hour drive, Bai Mu's driving skills had also genuinely won over Great Northern Wilderness. Whether it was his route selection or his corner-drifting techniques, this young brother had earned his full approval.
Driven by curiosity, Great Northern Wilderness lit a cigarette and handed it over. "Brother Bai, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of work did you do before?"
"To be honest, I've never really held down a proper job," Bai Mu replied, taking a drag from the cigarette. "I had a lot of free time to myself and loved reading assorted books to pass the time, so I just happen to know a little more than the average person."
This was the truth. He had never worked a standard nine-to-five job. The only time he had ever earned a paycheck was working part-time at a fast-food joint during college, scooping fries and frying chicken wings every night.
Seeing that Bai Mu had no intention of elaborating, Great Northern Wilderness did not press the matter further.
Players in Paradise all had their own secrets, so there was a tacit understanding among them to mind their own business.
Aside from Bai Mu at the wheel, the other three relaxed and chatted idly in the car. When they got tired, they drank some water and took short naps. It completely lacked the tension of surviving in a Zombie-infested world; it felt more like they were on a road trip.
Before nightfall, Bai Mu smoothly drove them to a safe location.
He had not been driving aimlessly. The key he obtained from the Witch had an address labeled on it. It was likely that her parents had taped it to the key specifically because they were worried their child would forget.
"Brook District. This is the place," Bai Mu said, looking up at the street sign by the road.
He had driven into a sparsely populated suburb. The housing density here was very low, consisting entirely of single-family homes that occupied large lots but felt completely desolate.
The door that the Witch's key could open belonged to one of these houses.
The sky was growing quite dark. They planned to find a house to rest in, as a good night's sleep was necessary to replenish their energy. They could also take the opportunity to see if they could scavenge any food.
Bai Mu had driven here perfectly on purpose, setting himself up to complete the Side Quest he had accepted.