The night passed in silence, but Liu Feng didn't sleep much. He sat with his machete in hand, eyes half-open, always alert.
Outside, the wind blew through empty streets. The smell of death hung in the air.
At dawn, Liu Feng opened his system panel again.
[Liu Feng – Status Panel]
Level: 5
Strength: 26
Agility: 19
Constitution: 17
Skills:
Basic Combat
Sprint
Tough Skin
Threat Sense
Inventory:
Rusty Machete (Durability: 38/60)
Healing Potion x2
Bottled Water x3
Energy Bar x2
Painkiller x3
He checked Lin Xue. She was still asleep, curled up behind a stack of cardboard boxes. Her face looked peaceful. A little rest after hell.
But peace never lasted in this world.
Suddenly,his Threat Sense activated.
Danger approaching… Fast!
He stood up and rushed to the window.
His heart sank.
A zombie horde was coming.
Hundreds of them.
They moved like a wave down the main road broken arms, rotting flesh, howling mouths.
They weren't walking. They were charging.
And they were heading straight for the gas station.
"Xue, wake up!"
Lin Xue opened her eyes. "What? What's wrong?"
"No time. We need to leave. A horde is coming."
She stood quickly, grabbing a backpack Liu Feng had given her. He handed her a water bottle and a knife.
"Stay behind me, no matter what."
She nodded, face pale.
They slipped out the back door and ran into an alley.
But before they could get far growls echoed around them.
Zombies were already here.
Ten of them blocked the path.
"Dammit."
Liu Feng stepped forward. His hand gripped the machete tight.
Time to level up.
He dashed forward using Sprint.
SWOOSH!
The first zombie's head flew off. Red orbs floated.
The second lunged, but he twisted and slashed it down.
One by one, the zombies fell.
Lin Xue stayed back, watching in shock as Liu Feng moved like a killing machine.
[System Notification]
+4 Strength
+2 Agility
+1 Constitution
Item Dropped: Reinforced Jacket (Defense +3)
Liu Feng quickly picked up the orbs and put on the jacket.
It was torn and stained, but stronger than his old shirt.
Then his Threat Sense flared again.
"More coming!"
They ran through the alley, turning into an abandoned street.
But everywhere they went zombies.
Too many.
"We need higher ground!" Liu Feng said.
He spotted a building nearby,an old parking garage.
They rushed in and climbed up the ramps, reaching the fourth floor.
Zombies followed behind, groaning and crawling up.
Lin Xue was panting, her legs shaking.
"I—I can't run anymore…"
Liu Feng looked down. Over fifty zombies were already swarming up the garage.
They were trapped.
Then something strange happened.
[System Notification]
Emergency Event: Zombie Horde Wave Detected
Special Elite Zombie Leading Horde
Killing the Elite will drop rare skill or item.
Survive the wave: Reward - Attribute Pack (Random Bonus: 5–15 Points)
Liu Feng's eyes narrowed.
Elite zombie?
He looked around.
And then he saw it coming from the main street.
A giant, muscle-covered zombie. Almost three meters tall. One glowing red eye. Sharp claws instead of hands.
It roared, and all the normal zombies screamed back.
It was the leader.
[Elite Zombie - Mutant Type]
Level: 7
Strength: Unknown
Speed: High
Weak Point: Spine
Liu Feng gritted his teeth.
"If I kill that thing, I'll level up fast."
He turned to Lin Xue.
"Hide in the car over there. Don't come out no matter what."
She wanted to say something, but saw the look in his eyes and nodded.
He turned toward the ramp as the first zombies reached the fourth floor.
Liu Feng gripped his machete.
Then he charged.
The fight began.
He swung, slashed, kicked.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
His body moved faster than before. Stronger.
Each kill dropped more power.
Orbs flew into his body, making him grow.
But they kept coming.
Ten… twenty… thirty…
His arms ached. His legs burned.
But he didn't stop.
[System Notification]
+7 Strength
+5 Agility
+3 Constitution
Skill Book Dropped: Iron Slash (Learn?)
"Yes!"
[Skill Learned: Iron Slash]
Unleash a powerful charged attack with a blade. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
He didn't even have time to rest.
The Elite Zombie roared and jumped onto the fourth floor.
BOOM!
The concrete cracked under its weight.
Liu Feng turned to face it.
"Let's end this."
The zombie rushed at him like a truck.
He rolled to the side just in time, but the zombie's claw slashed his jacket.
Blood spilled.
"GAAH!"
But he didn't back down.
He activated Iron Slash.
The machete glowed slightly, and he struck the zombie's arm.
SLASH!
A deep cut opened. Black blood gushed.
The zombie roared in pain.
It swung again,Liu Feng blocked with his arm.
CRACK!
He flew backward and hit a car.
Pain filled his body.
But his eyes burned with rage.
"I won't die here!"
He stood up, used Sprint, and dashed behind the monster.
Then he stabbed directly at the spine,its weak point.
STAB!
The machete went deep.
The zombie froze.
Liu Feng twisted the blade.
CRACK!
The monster screamed one last time before falling to the ground.
Dead.
[System Notification]
Elite Zombie Defeated!
+15 Strength
+8 Agility
+6 Constitution
Rare Skill Book Dropped: Combat Awareness (Learn?)
Reward Unlocked: Attribute Bonus Pack - +12 Random Points!
Liu Feng: "Learn."
[Skill Learned: Combat Awareness]
Automatically reacts to surprise attacks and increases dodge chance.
His body was glowing.
His muscles felt heavier. Stronger. His wounds started to heal.
He had leveled up again.
Lin Xue rushed out. "You… you killed it?!"
He nodded, covered in blood, breathing heavily.
She looked at him like he was a god.
"You're getting scarier," she said.
"I'm just getting started," he replied.
He checked his stats.
[Liu Feng – Status Panel]
Level: 7
Strength: 48
Agility: 32
Constitution: 28
Skills:
Basic Combat
Sprint
Tough Skin
Threat Sense
Iron Slash
Combat Awareness
Inventory:
Rusty Machete (Durability: 24/60)
Healing Potion x1
Bottled Water x2
Energy Bar x1
Painkiller x3
He looked at the burning city below.
This world was full of death.
But for Liu Feng… it was full of power.
"I'll rise. I'll rule. No matter what."