Zhang Qi gripped the stake so tight his knuckles went white. He stood perfectly still, like a statue, only his sharp eyes scanning the dim hallway like a predator spotting prey. The other two were baffled by his sudden intensity, exchanging confused, uneasy glances.
"Wha... what is it, Zhang Qi?" He Yu was the first to crack, his voice trembling like leaves in an autumn wind. "What do you mean 'get ready'? Did you hear something?" He unconsciously shrank behind Zhang Dalong, the lenses of his glasses reflecting his panic.
Zhang Qi frowned, listening intently to the faint sounds in the distance. Huh? Why can't they hear it? he wondered. It's not exactly quiet. Thumping like a drumbeat. Can only I hear it? Did my hearing get an upgrade too? Did this zombie mutation come with bonus features?
"Something's coming. Sounds like more than a few," Zhang Qi said, voice low, his gaze fixed on the hallway corner. "At least two or three. Moving fast." He tightened his grip on the stake, veins standing out on the back of his hand.
After another moment of listening, figures finally appeared, swaying at the far end of the hall. Two distorted shapes charged up the stairs, clawing their way toward them like starving beasts, guttural growls rasping from their throats.
"Holy shit! They're back?!" Zhang Dalong exclaimed, a sheen of sweat instantly appearing on his bald head. "Why are they back?! I thought this building was cleared!" He looked around frantically, as if searching for something else to defend with.
He Yu went pale, stammering, "M-maybe we were too loud before... all the noise... or there are more on other floors..." His teeth chattered as he spoke, his whole body shaking so badly he could barely stand.
The two charging things were a horrific sight. The female zombie on the left had bloody wounds all over her arms, bone visible. The male on the right had chunks of flesh missing from his face, like he'd been chewed on. Both had disturbingly bulging eyes, almost popping out, leaking dark blood.
Clearly zombies. Much more obvious than my own features, Zhang Qi thought, his mind racing. But these things are fast. Nothing like the slow shamblers from the movies… He noted their agility keenly. Is it because their bodies haven't fully decayed yet? If they're like me, and going by this crappy system, freshly turned zombies with high Physical Status would be quicker. Like they're juiced up.
"Zhang Qi, let's hide in another room!" He Yu tugged nervously at Zhang Qi's sleeve, his voice bordering on tears. "Or just run! Get out of the building! We can't let those things get close!" His legs were jelly, on the verge of collapsing.
Instead of running, Zhang Qi stepped forward to meet the zombies, his demeanor oddly casual, like strolling through a market. "Running from just two? Are you men?" Zhang Qi scoffed, a flicker of disdain in his eyes. "They're making too much noise. If we don't deal with them, more will come. Then we'll be surrounded. No escape."
As he spoke, the female zombie lunged. She opened a mouth full of rotten, corn-kernel-like yellow teeth, a wave of rot hitting the air. Her hands clawed wildly at Zhang Qi. Quick as lightning, Zhang Qi sidestepped, swung the stake, and smashed it into her temple. A dull thud echoed. Her body jerked sideways, head cracking against the wall. She went still.
Facing the second zombie, Zhang Qi charged forward without fear. The male snarled and pounced. Zhang Qi dodged the claws, pulled out the sharp mirror shard, and drove it down hard into the top of the thing's skull. The shard plunged through bone with sickening ease. Zhang Qi felt the weight of the body vanish as it thumped to the floor, finished.
"The best choice is to put them down for good. Permanent solution." Zhang Qi flicked blood off the stake, his tone as calm as if discussing dinner.
When he turned, the other two were shocked to see splatters of dark zombie blood on his chest bandages and face. He Yu gagged, clapping a hand over his mouth.
Watching this, both men swallowed hard, Adam's apples bobbing. The scene was terrifying. For a moment, Zhang Qi seemed ten times scarier than the zombies themselves. His eyes were cold, his actions brutally efficient.
During this brief clash, Zhang Qi realized he was nothing like a game character now. He had abilities beyond normal—superhuman strength, hearing sharp as a bat's, reaction speed off the charts, and other changes he couldn't quite name.
Another major advantage worked in his favor: he was already a zombie. So zero fear of turning from a bite. A twisted sort of silver lining. It drastically reduced his fear, giving him a huge edge over other survivors in this apocalypse. Like playing with cheats on.
"Observing these zombies, I noticed something else: smell." Zhang Qi sniffed the air, thoughtful. "Zhang Dalong and He Yu smell… sweet. Like sugar. The zombies reek of blood. Like a slaughterhouse. If other zombies can distinguish scents like I can, that's trouble. Nowhere to hide."
Thinking this, Zhang Qi began using the stake to thwack the corpses on the ground, making more wounds, letting blood and viscera spill out. He knew it was bizarre behavior. But since neither the smell nor the sight sickened him, the only thing stopping him was a mental block—a little voice saying this was wrong, monstrous.
Now, the will to survive was taking over. Morality could wait. Live first. Gritting his teeth, he kept going, smearing zombie gore onto his stake.
"What the hell are you doing, Zhang Qi?! They're already dead! Stop!" He Yu yelled, face pale, stomach churning.
Zhang Qi finally stopped, not because of He Yu's plea, but because the bodies were pulped enough. Then, without hesitation, he started smearing blood and entrails onto his clothes, kneading it in like dough. Soon he was covered in dark, reddish stains.
"Zombies can probably smell us too," Zhang Qi explained while smearing, his tone disturbingly calm. "To them, we smell like living people. Like a steak dinner. Don't let zombie blood get into any wounds, or your eyes. Just on the clothes. Make yourselves smell like them."
Zhang Qi's actions sent another chill down their spines. He was acting like a seasoned apocalypse veteran, even though this had all started less than a day ago. Zhang Dalong was particularly struck by how efficiently he'd dealt with the two zombies—moves fast and fluid, completely unlike an ordinary college student.
Has he always been this strong and agile? Zhang Dalong wondered, palms sweating. And he didn't hesitate at all… He's not afraid of them. Like slicing vegetables. Could I do that? No. Not yet. My legs are still weak. But thank god he's on our side. Otherwise…
Before exploring other floors, Zhang Qi needed to confirm something. A message had popped into his mind after killing the zombies, like a game prompt:
[Detected User Elimination of Two Zombies]
[Applying Penalty]
[Friendly Tip: Honey, violence isn't the answer~ Peaceful coexistence makes a good zombie!]
[-4 XP]
[Current XP: 0]
[XP to Next Level: 100]
[Special Note: Killing your own kind lowers your Zombie Credit Score!]
Huh? That's not how this is supposed to go, Zhang Qi thought, his heart sinking, his expression darkening. This is bad. Really bad. So killing my own kind loses me XP? What kind of bullshit rule is that?! Does it want me to join these mindless freaks in attacking the living instead?