Chapter 20: Collaboration on Blueprints

Ryan opened the system panel. 

He originally thought it was another message from Candy. 

However, when he opened it, he was surprised to see it was a message from LEO, who seemed to be looking for him. 

[LEO: Ryan, did that Candy contact you?] 

Ryan hesitated for a moment and didn't reply immediately. He felt a bit conflicted. The fewer people who knew about killing Candy, the better. 

Even if news of her death spread, Ryan didn't want other players to know that he was involved. 

He glanced at the two horrifying corpses nearby. 

These two guys were clearly much stronger than he was. 

If he couldn't rely on the strength of others, whether he could kill Candy was a question that needed careful consideration. 

In fact, up to this point, Ryan hadn't come up with a good plan. 

However, as long as it was a zombie, shattering its skull to destroy its brain would definitely result in death. 

If he could get a gun, it would be much easier to kill Candy. 

Unfortunately, dreams are often beautiful. On his way here, Ryan had used the live map to look for any shops selling firearms near the south of the city. 

Although he found one, it was obviously already looted clean. 

He also passed by a police station. 

But due to the overwhelming number of zombies, Ryan had no choice but to take a detour and didn't enter to explore. 

So, Ryan found himself in a dilemma. 

He really needed to think carefully about whether he should look for some help. 

If he was going to find someone to assist him, LEO might be a good choice. 

Moreover, he seemed to be interested in Candy's plan during the chat earlier. 

Ryan decided to test the waters first: "Maybe I should see what LEO has to say..." 

He replied on the system panel. 

[Ryan: Not yet, what's up, bro?] 

Soon, the other party responded. 

[LEO: It's about Candy. I wanted to give you a heads-up…] 

[LEO: She's a bad person, so you'd better be careful. I suggest you prepare your weapons in advance.] 

Ryan looked at LEO's reply, feeling a bit surprised. 

He truly hadn't expected that, besides himself, another player had noticed something off about Candy. This piqued his curiosity. 

He wanted to probe further into how LEO had gotten this information. 

At the same time, Ryan was also eager to know LEO's intentions. 

Furrowing his brow, Ryan started to doubt, "This guy can't be warning me out of goodwill. What does he want?" 

Knowing there was something wrong with Candy yet still choosing to join her team certainly suggested he had other motives. 

And now he was messaging Ryan, likely in search of allies. 

Unless he received reliable information, Ryan definitely wouldn't cooperate with him. 

[Ryan: What's going on? I think that canned goods truck she mentioned doesn't seem fake.] 

[Ryan: Where did you get your information?] 

Since the other party was so certain, he must have some key evidence. 

If he wanted Ryan's help, he naturally needed to show some sincerity. 

Sure enough, LEO quickly replied. 

[LEO: I don't know if you noticed the messages in the chat room, but when Candy was first trapped, she sent out a location, and two nearby players went to rescue her.] 

[Ryan: Yeah, I remember that.] 

[LEO: After Candy was rescued, a male player sent a message in the group saying they had safely relocated.] 

[Ryan: So what? Is there something suspicious about that?] 

[LEO: That male player is named John, and he's a fitness trainer. I know him because we signed a trade contract, I was going to buy a copy of his blueprints.] 

[LEO: I have already paid a hefty deposit. He asked me to help him find some gym equipment after I entered the dungeon.] 

[LEO: But about half an hour ago, the system informed me that the contract was voided.] 

[LEO: Because John is dead.] 

Ryan's mind raced as he suddenly understood. 

He turned his head to look at the male corpse at the foot of the bed. 

Even though his chest had been completely opened up and large amounts of flesh had been torn away, it was still evident that he had trained heavily. 

This corpse was the slain John. 

Just like the trading contract he signed with LEO for the off-road tire blueprints, LEO had a similar contract with John. 

As Ryan realized this, LEO's intentions became clear. 

It must be that unfulfilled blueprints. 

Ryan organized his thoughts and continued to reply on the system panel. 

[Ryan: I see, you suspect that Candy killed John and took your blueprints?] 

[LEO: Not suspecting, it's one hundred percent exactly as you said.] 

[LEO: I calculated the time of his death, and it was shortly after that safety statement message was sent, so he must have been with Candy at that time!] 

[Ryan: So… what are your plans?] 

Ryan directly started to inquire, as the other party's intentions were now quite clear. 

Sure enough, LEO extended an invitation. 

[LEO: I believe Candy used seduction to catch him off guard, killed him, and then looted their supplies.] 

[LEO: That blueprints, which originally belonged to me, is now definitely in her hands.] 

[LEO: I plan to get the blueprints back, but for safety's sake, I want to seek a partner.] 

[LEO: If you're willing to help, you can have all the supplies we seize from Candy, and I can also share that blueprints with you...] 

[LEO: What do you think?] 

Ryan didn't hesitate and agreed immediately, as LEO's attitude was quite sincere. 

It seemed he valued that blueprints immensely, Ryan wondered what it was for. 

[Ryan: Alright, Candy has actually already told me her location. I'll send you a location pin shortly, and we can meet up here first.] 

[LEO: Sounds good.] 

After sending the location pin to LEO, Ryan prepared to leave the place. 

After all, Candy had already made an appointment with him. 

So she wouldn't be leaving this motel anytime soon. 

During their earlier conversation, Ryan had also lied, claiming he was a good distance away, so even if it took a little longer, it wouldn't raise any suspicions. 

Before leaving the room, Ryan took out his phone and turned on the flashlight. 

He conducted a quick search of the room but did not find John's blueprints. 

Theoretically, something so important should be carried by players in their system backpacks. 

If it wasn't found in the room, it meant Candy must have taken it. 

After searching fruitlessly, Ryan began to push the door and leave. 

Buddy was the first to step outside, sniffing the air to ensure there were no potential enemies nearby before slowly moving forward. 

Ryan followed closely behind Buddy, and the pair quickly made their way down the stairs. 

Standing in the lobby on the first floor, Ryan looked out at the parking lot. 

Suddenly, Ryan remembered— 

When he first arrived and used the live map to check the surroundings, he recalled that the two male players' small trucks were parked in the empty space near the left side downstairs. 

Now they were dead, and those two trucks had vanished. 

However, the items players stored in their vehicles, as well as the vehicle cores bound to the players, might still be left behind. 

Ryan crouched down, first patting Buddy on the head, then pointing in the distance: "Buddy, go over there quietly and see if you can find anything on the ground." 

Buddy immediately sprang into action, quickly running toward that direction. 

Upon reaching the spot, it began to sniff around on the ground. 

Before long, Buddy returned with something in its mouth and promptly dropped it in front of Ryan. 

On the ground lay two glimmering cores, reflecting a metallic sheen and sparkling softly under the moonlight. 

Ryan couldn't hide his excitement: "It's definitely vehicle cores!" 

To Ryan, if the number of players in this survival game wouldn't increase, then vehicle cores were the rarest items. 

After all, such rare materials could not be found in supply crates. 

They only dropped from bound vehicles when players died, so their quantity was limited. 

Therefore, each vehicle core was exceptionally valuable.