Chapter 40: The So-Called Copy

Eleven hours of deep sleep, without a single distracting thought.

When Lin Ran woke up, he felt completely renewed.

It was as if every cell in his body had been refreshed.

This was the most peaceful sleep he’d had since the apocalypse began.

The dream itself was simple—just a beach vacation.

Sunshine, sand, the sound of waves, a yellow sponge, and a one-eyed old captain singing…

Ahem, crossover.

In the dream, Vera wore a black and white maid outfit and responded to his every request.

Whether he wanted a cold drink, to watch schools of fish beneath the sea, or even wished for a cooling downpour, she granted it all.

On a lounge chair on the beach in his dream, he slept over and over, passing beautiful days one after another.

All he could say was, the effect was outstanding.

If such great service only cost 15 crystal cores, he’d gladly live like this every day after the apocalypse ended.

Hmm… But since each session took eleven hours, the apocalypse wouldn’t allow him to sleep like this daily.

Fifteen crystal cores a day would add up to a considerable sum over time.

He opened his eyes.

Outside the window, the sky was bright.

Lin Ran stretched wide and sat up from the bed.

So refreshing!

It was now 7:55 a.m.

Five minutes until the usual apocalypse broadcast.

Vera was already gone, and there were sounds of slimes tending slime grass downstairs.

Vera was probably helping them with their work.

Everything was so peaceful and beautiful.

Unfortunately, this tranquility didn’t last long before the announcement came.

[Third Wave Thief Invasion Notice!]

[This invasion’s theme: Army of the Dead!]

[This round’s enemies will invade your home carrying special rewards. The portal to return to the real world is now open. Please prepare within 24 hours.]

[Countdown: 23:59:59]

Undead-type enemies?

Lin Ran pondered.

There shouldn’t be any targets to conquer this time, right?

But since it was the third wave, the enemies would surely be stronger than those of the second.

Naturally, Lin Ran intended to make full use of these 24 hours of rest.

After returning to the dormitory, the first thing he did was—

Go to the dorms of classmates who’d already been erased and check things out.

The dead couldn’t come back to life, but… the dorms couldn’t just disappear, right?

The resources inside should still be there, so he needed to collect them as soon as possible.

Moreover, exploring the dorms of those who’d been erased would help him gather more information.

With the help of top-tier assistant Zhou Qingqing, Lin Ran learned Shen Qing’s dorm number.

—Female Dorm 404.

Quite ominous.

To ensure enough combat power, he also brought along Lim, the current melee powerhouse on his side, just in case anything happened.

Once everything was ready, he set up the portal, found a suitable angle, and locked onto Dorm 404 of the opposite building—

The gray-white portal appeared again, and as he stepped through, his vision reassembled.

“Come to think of it, this is my first time entering a girls’ dormitory, isn’t it?”

Lin Ran joked with a smile, while Lim was surprisingly shocked by her master’s innocence.

“I thought Master was the playboy type…”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because after me, Master chatted up so many girls in just a few days! See how fickle you are!”

After saying this, Lim puffed out her cheeks, but was too embarrassed to ignore Lin Ran, so she clung to his arm awkwardly.

Lin Ran gave an awkward laugh, patted her head in reassurance, and turned his attention back to the dorm.

It was laid out exactly like his own dormitory.

Only dirtier and messier, completely unlike the image of a girls’ dorm in his mind.

Half-eaten instant noodles sat on the table, books were scattered everywhere, and clothes hung outside the window, covered in dust.

Lin Ran looked around to see if there were any resources he could take.

“Pillows, quilts, and the bed definitely have to go… There are too many people on my side… Then…”

Lin Ran threw the resources he found to Lim, who would then store them temporarily in her stomach.

However, she soon turned into a round, plump slime.

It seemed her body expanded if she ate too much, and she didn’t want Lin Ran to see her in such a chubby state.

“Hisss…”

At that moment, a faint noise came from the corner.

Lin Ran’s attention was immediately drawn to it.

He saw several gray, furry clumps wriggling in the pile of junk in the corner.

Composed of dust and hair, their bodies devoured the surrounding dirt.

With every bit consumed, they grew stronger.

[Target: Filth Evolving Bug (Larval Stage)]

[Romance Potential: -20 (It hates you because it doesn’t want to be seen)]

[System Note: An extremely weak low-level monster, but with nearly limitless growth potential. It grows stronger by eating dust.]

It was a monster, all right, but why did it seem so eco-friendly?

Before Lin Ran could even make a joke about the bug’s environmentally friendly origins, Lim had already moved.

The little one stretched out a watery blue tentacle and grabbed a filth evolving bug.

Then, in full view of its companions, she dragged it back and stuffed it into her mouth.

“Master, this kind of thing can’t be left behind~”

Lim said, dragging back another crafty filth evolving bug.

“Just like Vera’s little dolls, these things also evolve. And since they get stronger just by eating trash, they’re pretty tough to deal with.”

“Then we really have no choice but to wipe them out.”

The image of the little dolls from his dream flashed in Lin Ran’s mind, sending a shiver through him.

The remaining filth evolving bugs trembled in fear, but Lim wouldn’t let them go.

A few more tentacles shot out, and in a matter of moments, the newborn monsters were all cleared away.

The whole process took less than ten seconds.

She even scored two crystal cores.

Apparently, though the bugs were weak, they were actually mid-level monsters!

However… there weren’t any of these in his own dormitory.

And the only difference between himself and Shen Qing was that his dorm’s owner hadn’t died.

So…

A theory surfaced in his mind.

Since this apocalypse was, in essence, a game.

When a player went offline—or died—the resources inside the player’s space wouldn’t be left to waste.

And since nothing went to waste, then—

A space, with resources.

With monsters.

And a sealed environment.

What was this space?

The answer was obvious.

A dungeon!

This was a monumental discovery!

His school used a single-occupancy dorm system.

How many students were there? Thousands? Tens of thousands?

How many were still alive?

He didn’t know.

But one thing was certain—a huge number of dormitories must have turned into these dungeons!

What did that mean?

It meant that in this school, there were countless such rooms.

Countless dungeons, with unlimited crystal cores and resources to be gained.

And as the only one with a portal, he was the first and only person who could challenge these dungeons.

The most important thing was…

There must be one thing inside every dungeon.

That was—the dungeon’s clearance reward!