Chapter 2: Walking XP
Lee's whole body shuddered as he felt a sudden rush of hot air blow past his ear.
A 9mm bullet grazed by, striking a walker right behind him with precision.
Lee heard something collapse behind him. When he turned to look, barely a meter away lay a corpse with a grotesque face.
That was the person they'd just hit!
He still didn't fully understand what was happening, but he had enough basic awareness to look toward the cop holding the handgun not far away and flash him a grateful look.
Handgun Skill Experience +1000
Handgun Skill Level Up
Handgun Skill Level 7: 0/700
Attribute Experience +1
Level 1: 2/10
Hanks ignored him, scanning the surroundings. Once he confirmed there was no immediate danger, he lowered his gun and strode quickly toward the old cop's body.
He patted down the corpse, pulling out a pair of handcuff keys, a Glock pistol, and two magazines.
Since the SIG Sauer P226 and Glock magazines weren't compatible, he ejected the magazine from the Glock, then fieldstripped the pistol and tossed the parts under a tree.
Sure, more people meant more guns, but there was no way he'd hand a loaded weapon to a stranger and turn his back on them!
He stuffed the three magazines into his pockets, adjusting the position of his own two magazines to ensure he could grab them as fast as possible when needed.
"Hey, officer..." Lee mustered his courage and limped over. His leg had been scraped up in the crash.
"Do it yourself." Hanks tossed him the handcuff keys and walked toward the police car on his own.
"Thank you." Lee didn't mind the cold attitude one bit. He quickly unlocked his handcuffs.
Hanks opened the trunk and pulled out a Mossberg 590 shotgun and a tactical shoulder strap loaded with thirty 12-gauge shells.
He checked the tube magazine and found it already loaded with eight rounds. He pumped it once to chamber a shell, then engaged the safety.
Lee had finished removing his handcuffs by now. He flexed his numb wrists and walked over. "Officer..."
"What do we do now? What the hell is going on? That thing..." He pointed at the walker on the ground. "What is that?"
Hanks slung the shotgun across his back and drew his P226 again.
"First we get the hell out of here. Gunshots will draw more walkers."
"Walkers? Got it, officer!" Lee nodded quickly. Right now, Hanks was his only lifeline.
They'd barely taken two steps when something caught Hanks's peripheral vision from above. It looked like a little girl, there one moment and gone the next.
Almost the instant he glanced away toward the distance, bone-chilling growls closed in from both sides of the forest!
Shit! More of them!
He snapped his attention back, cursing under his breath, and raised his handgun toward where he sensed danger.
Three walkers shambled out of the forest, swaying unsteadily.
They still wore ordinary civilian clothes, but torn and bloodstained. Their faces were twisted and horrific, staring straight at the two living people with dead eyes.
"Oh my God..." Lee's voice trembled. The reality before his eyes shattered everything he thought he knew.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots, steady rhythm.
Thanks to his improved handgun skill, Hanks's shots were extremely precise. All three hit the head. All three walkers dropped.
Handgun Skill Experience +3000
Handgun Skill Level Up
Handgun Skill Level 10: 600/10000
Handgun Skill Passive Unlocked: Quick Draw
(Through hundreds of repetitions, solid muscle memory has formed. Within 6 meters, bullets don't miss. Draw-to-first-shot time consistently under 1.5 seconds)
Attribute Experience +3
Level 1: 4/10
Hanks didn't have time to celebrate. He grabbed the limping Lee and ran toward where the little girl had disappeared.
The gunshots were like stones thrown into a calm lake, rippling outward. More snarls answered from throughout the forest.
Lee's leg injury slowed him down considerably, but he gritted his teeth and kept pace. Fear was the best painkiller and motivator.
The snarls and footsteps behind them grew closer and denser. A small horde was clearly forming and giving chase.
"Faster! Move faster!" Hanks growled, running while constantly checking behind them, using his handgun to precisely drop two walkers closing in from the side.
Half-dragging each other, they ran several dozen meters until a two-story house and tall wooden fence came into view.
Hanks's eyes swept over the fence, then glanced at the horde closing in behind them.
A bold idea formed in his mind!
The walkers charging at them looked numerous, but a quick count showed only a dozen or so, and they moved slowly.
This was just walking XP!
"Lee! Find a way over the fence yourself! Fast! I'll cover you!" Hanks barked, his tone decisive.
Not only did he not retreat, he actually stepped forward and raised his gun to aim.
"What? Officer! You..." Lee was stunned, but seeing that determined back and the dense horde approaching, he knew there was no time to argue. Ignoring the searing pain in his leg, he struggled to find handholds and climb the fence.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hanks actively closed the distance with the walkers, trying to ensure every shot was a headshot.
His P226 flashed with muzzle fire. Each bullet drilled into walker skulls like it had eyes!
One walker after another dropped like cut wheat, instantly losing all motor function as experience points rolled in.
Click! The crisp sound of a firing pin on an empty chamber.
Hanks's P226 had a twenty-round magazine. He'd burned through nine earlier and just emptied the remaining eleven 9mm rounds.
Curing the infection, one bullet at a time!
Handgun Skill Experience +1100
Firearms Master bonus applied, experience x10
Handgun Skill Experience +11000
Handgun Skill Level Up
Handgun Skill Level 11: 700/11000
Attribute Experience +11
Attribute Level Up
Attribute Level 2: 5/20
Attribute Points +1
Information flooded Hanks's mind, but his body moved without hesitation.
He holstered the empty pistol and reached back for the M590 shotgun in one smooth motion.
Ka-chak! He pumped the forestock.
The last three or four walkers were snarling as they closed in, less than ten meters away!
At this distance, the shotgun barely needed precise aiming.
BOOM! The deafening roar exploded! 12-gauge buckshot sprayed out in a fan pattern.
The lead walker's head and upper body were instantly shredded by countless steel pellets, collapsing like wet mud.
Ka-chak! BOOM! Second shot!
Hanks adjusted his aim slightly. Another walker's head exploded like a watermelon, its body toppling backward.
Ka-chak! BOOM! Third shot!
He fired at the last walker's chest. The massive impact caved in its ribcage completely.
The walker flew backward, slammed into a tree with the sound of breaking bones, and went still.
Shotgun Skill Experience +3000
Shotgun Skill Level 8: 200/800
Three thunderous shots accompanied by the system notifications rapidly scrolling.
Hanks's understanding of this weapon and his muscle memory immediately reached a whole new level.
"AHHH!!!"
Lee's scream came from behind the fence.