Chapter 2: B... Bitten?
In the few seconds it took for them to act, the surrounding walkers had already closed in. Even the ones that had been swarming the horse were now turning their attention toward them.
Wu Shou and Rick stood pressed together, back-to-back. One fired ahead to clear a path while the other cautiously watched their rear, ready to swing his shovel at any walker that got too close.
The distance was only ten-odd meters, but to them, it felt longer than a month.
"There's too many of them, we have to hurry! You... Wu Shou!!"
Rick's sudden cry caught Wu Shou's attention. But before he could turn his head, he felt a strange tugging sensation on the armor over his lower back.
A sudden premonition struck him. He swung the shovel behind him on pure instinct.
'Thunk—'
A dull thud echoed as the walker leaning out of the car window was knocked back inside by Wu Shou's blow.
But when he turned around, he was met with Rick's complicated gaze.
"Hm?"
Following Rick's line of sight, Wu Shou reached for his own lower back. The first thing he felt was the texture of his own skin, which made his heart sink. It was followed by a sharp, stinging pain, and his fingertips were stained with a touch of warmth.
He stared at his fingers. The fresh blood on them made his face go pale, his pupils constricting in shock.
"I... I was... bitten?"
His mind went blank. Wu Shou wasn't prepared to accept this reality. This wasn't how he had imagined it; he wasn't supposed to die here...
Wu Shou looked up, his face ashen, his fingers trembling uncontrollably. In that single moment, his fear reached its absolute peak. No wonder Rick was looking at him like that. Was he going to become one of those things soon?
No... that's not right... it can't be...
A ringing returned to Wu Shou's ears, just like the sound of Rick's gunshot in the tank moments before.
"Hey, hey! Wu Shou! Can you hear me?! We have to get out of here first!" Rick's voice was urgent as he shook Wu Shou's body several times.
Wu Shou's vision gradually cleared. Seeing a walker behind Rick, he grabbed the Deputy's arm and, with his other hand, smashed the entrenching tool into it. The walker staggered sideways and collapsed onto the road, still struggling to crawl closer.
"Hah... Rick, I can't go on. You go," Wu Shou said, his chest heaving. But after his fear had reached its zenith in that brief moment, what followed was a blazing rage.
The unemployment crisis, being thrown into the apocalypse, getting bitten on his very first encounter... Why did all this bullshit have to happen to him?!
"Wu Shou..."
Rick stared blankly at this Chinese soldier he had known for barely fifteen minutes, momentarily at a loss for words. In a way, Wu Shou was the first person Rick had experienced a life-and-death parting with in this apocalypse.
"Go!!"
Wu Shou shoved the grenade into Rick's hands, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He could no longer hold back the murderous aura that was now pouring off him.
It wasn't that he didn't want to leave. But with a bite to the waist, leaving would only mean a bullet to the head later. If that was his fate, he might as well vent his fury one last time.
After a long, hard look at Wu Shou, Rick turned without hesitation and ran toward the alley. A few sharp gunshots rang out, then faded into the distance...
"Now, it's time to give you ungrateful bastards a proper welcome."
"Maybe... I'll even get to go back home after I die..."
Wu Shou bared his teeth in a grin. In his eyes, the walkers had all transformed into pigs, cows, and sheep—nothing but blurry masses of flesh and blood.
Compared to his earlier fear and hesitation, after receiving that first bite, Wu Shou seemed to have awakened. He was filled with a reckless, fearless courage.
He suddenly remembered a phrase from a short video in his past life.
Humans run and hide because they possess intelligence. They weigh the pros and cons, seeking to avoid injury. But once that first wound is inflicted, the terrifying ape that truly ruled the planet is finally unleashed.
He held the entrenching tool vertically, and its sharp edge sliced across a walker's face. The creature's head caved in like a chocolate cake, and it lost its balance, stumbling to the ground. Wu Shou, his face devoid of expression, stomped on its head with his combat boot, completely crushing its skull.
He sent another walker staggering back with a powerful swing of the shovel. He grabbed a nearby walker by its long hair, yanking with all his might to throw it to the ground.
Compared to before, Wu Shou was now like a god of war.
Fearless of bites, fearless of the virus, no longer holding back. All that remained was the frantic release of the resentment pent up in his heart.
"COME ON!!" Wu Shou roared, swinging the shovel again.
A walker stumbled and fell, but the entrenching tool in his hands was now slightly bent. An entrenching tool wasn't a dedicated blunt weapon; repeated impacts against walker skulls were taking their toll.
Wu Shou, on the other hand, was only panting slightly after the slaughter. The anger in his heart hadn't lessened; it had grown.
"I was doing just fine butchering pigs... 'Thwack!'... You bastards had to come and ruin everything... 'Thwack!'... You want to eat me?... 'Schlick!'... I'll slaughter every last one of you first!!"
His roars attracted more walkers. The edge of his entrenching tool had rolled, the entire weapon now bent out of shape. Wu Shou used what was left of his strength to embed the shovel into the neck of the walker in front of him. A wave of blackish-red blood followed the angle of the walker's tilting head, flowing slowly down the handle. The blood, cold for who knows how long, added a slick, viscous feeling to his palm.
But just then!
Wu Shou suddenly froze, an unconcealable look of shock and joy spreading across his face.
Floating before his eyes were several lines of text in a mix of gold and red.
[Walkers Killed: 10/10]
[Level Up! Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]
[XP for Next Level: Previous Level's Req. * 1.02]
[Skill Points Gained: 3 (First Time). You can now assign points.]
[You are Infected. Consume Antibiotics to cure yourself.]
[Antibiotics: Cures the Infected status and restores health.]
In an instant, a golden light flashed before Wu Shou's eyes. He felt different, somehow.
In the bottom-left corner of his vision, several colored bars appeared. They represented: Food, Water, Stamina, and Health.
(Image Here)
Right now, besides the Food, Water, and Stamina bars, which were all below half, his Health bar was constantly decreasing. Directly above the four bars, a small capsule icon was blinking, indicating an emergency.
"This is... 7 Days to Die?!"
Wu Shou was ecstatic. Just when he thought it was the end of the road, a new path revealed itself.
...But even so, his current situation wasn't exactly great.
Wu Shou glanced around at the seemingly endless tide of walkers. It felt like half the dead in Atlanta were on their way to witness the birth of a new king of the apocalypse.
The corner of his eye twitched. He was suddenly regretting his earlier decision.
His thoughts raced, but he didn't have much time to think. Wu Shou quickly took two steps back, pressing his back firmly against the wall of a building. He thought the word 'Skills,' and a panel materialized before his eyes.
The panel was simple and clear. On the left were the skills, and on the right were their detailed descriptions, just like in the game.
There was one difference, however. When he opened the skill panel, of the five main attribute trees, only the first two—Perception and Strength—were unlocked. The other three—Fortitude, Agility, and Intellect—were currently locked.
"Whatever. With three skill points, it's more than enough for now."