Chapter 67 - 67: Zombie Bloodline
Night was falling fast, and many people began packing up their tools, replenishing their food and water supplies, and preparing to leave the small grove to spend the night in the safe houses they had chosen.
During the night, only a few brave and cautious players dared to venture out and hunt. Most players preferred to hide in their rooms, barricading doors and windows tightly in hope that the monsters wouldn’t find them.
However, those players who were daring enough to hunt at night were also the ones who tended to die the fastest. The danger levels at night were multiples of that during daylight. Most of the times, a player not seen one day after venturing out at night was deemed gone forever.
“Big brother, it’s getting dark. i need to go back…” Li Ke’er, looking at Song Jian who was still gathering, expressed her worries.
“Alright, Ke’er, I’ll walk you back!” Song Jian replied with a gentle smile and rubbed his wrist.
Bang-
His last punch landed solidly on the rock. The remaining small piece of rock shattered into pieces, transforming into a white light and was absorbed into Song Jian’s inventory.
In less than an hour, Song Jian had gathered nearly two hundred units of stone materials, a rate much faster than those using pickaxes.
Song Jian also felt that his skill [Unarmed Combat (Fist/Hands) (Basic)] had improved quickly.
After escorting Li Ke’er back to her chosen safe house, the sky had turned completely dark and the moon had risen. Looking at the crescent moon in the sky, Song Jian suddenly thought about the figure he once saw absorbing the lunar essence under the moonlight. Ever since that night, he never saw that figure again.
But the image of the figure standing in mid-air and absorbing lunar essence was deeply engraved in his mind. He could not forget it.
“If only 1 could reach that height someday,” Song Jian thought enviously.
As Song Jian was about to return to his own safe house, he suddenly saw a stooped figure on the street, quickly decimating zombies. What was astonishing was that this figure was amidst a crowd of zombies, yet none paid any attention to him. Even the zombie being attacked by him merely roared in protest and attempted to evade, instead of launching a counterattack.
Song Jian hid behind a partially collapsed wall to observe closely. After a while, he realized that the figure’s attack patterns were very similar to those of mutant zombies. If it were not for the fact that his attacks were directed at zombies, Song Jian would have mistaken him for a mutant zombie.
“Strange, why can’t I view his properties?” Song Jian frowned.
In the game, whether it was a monster or an NEC, their names and levels would be displayed above their heads, unmodifiable. But above the head of this “zombie” attacking other zombies, there was nothing.
“Could this guy actually be a player?” Song Jian expressed surprise. Having discarded all impossibilities, the only explanation remaining must be the truth, no matter how unbelievable.
Roar-
While attacking a zombie, the figure suddenly went berserk. After letting out a roar, he latched onto a zombie’s body, biting and sucking on its neck furiously.
Song Jian’s eye twitched as he watched. This guy was way too brutal. His initial intention of making contact faded significantly. To Song Jian, this player was no different from a zombie, whether it was habits or actions.
“Hopefully, he can return to normal when he returns to the real world. Please don’t carry these habits back into reality…” After casting a last glance at the figure, Song Jian quietly retreated back into his villa.
The player, who seemed indistinguishable from a mutant zombie, was Wang Xiaomao. He was the only survivor of the White Tiger Gang, and he had the bloodline of the zombie due to a fortuitous incident.
Wang Xiaomao, popularly known as Xiao Mao, was only sixteen. He dropped out of school in the seventh grade and roamed the streets every day, frequenting internet cafes and karaoke bars. Although he had not officially joined any gang, in the eyes of people around him, he was no different from a hoodlum.
After gaining the zombie bloodline, Wang Xiaomao always had an impulse to spill blood. After consuming the corpse of the zombie leader, this impulse grew stronger.
This impulse was particularly intense during fights. As the fight carried on, his impulse would become even stronger. Along with the growth of this bloodthirsty impulse, Wang Xiaomao’s fighting strength would increase correspondingly.
Acquiring the zombie bloodline also enhanced Wang Xiaomao’s physical attributes. While they weren’t very high, he possessed a special gift where his attributes were not halved during daylight. And at night, his attributes were doubled.
Therefore, Wang Xiaomao, with his newly acquired zombie lineage, had a significant edge over other players. But his bloodthirsty impulses were a clear downside.
If a person with strong willpower were to acquire such a lineage, they would probably become the protagonist of any novel, growing stronger against stronger foes and ultimately reaching the top. But clearly, Wang Xiaomao’s willpower wasn’t up to par. When Song Jian met him, he could see that Wang Xiaomao was gradually losing his sanity to his bloodthirsty impulses. He suspected that it would not be long before Wang Xiaomao would become another zombie leader, completely lost in this game.
However, Song Jian was unaware of all this and was only slightly repulsed by Wang Xiaomao. Seeing how Wang Xiaomao fought, Song Jian, being human, naturally felt some internal resistance.
After returning to the villa, Song Jian did not rest immediately. His vitality was still over 80% and even if he stayed up all night, it would slowly replenish to full as time passed.
“I can’t go out to hunt monsters, but I can’t waste the night either!” Song Jian thought.
He entered the villa’s kitchen and began to practice his cooking skills. The zombie flesh was turned into “fried meat”. He also tried developing new recipes but unfortunately, all attempts failed, wasting quite a few cooking ingredients.
After spending more than three hours and depleting all the cooking ingredients in his inventory, Song Jian looked at hundreds of “zombie fangs” in his inventory and shook his head helplessly.
To make potions, a set of “alchemy equipment” is needed. This alchemy equipment was similar to the “radio” attribute he obtained accidentally. It could only be used in a safe house recognized by the system.
Song Jian didn’t have alchemy equipment, and his safe house was not yet complete. If things continued this way, he was afraid that his sixteen inventory slots wouldn’t be enough.
“In the next few days, 1 must speed up collecting stone materials and build the safe house,” Song Jian thought.
The main mission of building a system-recognized safe house was undoubtedly a dangerous one. The situation demanded a formidable safe house to withstand the attack of monsters within a one-kilometer radius. However, construction of such strongholds required too many materials. It was tough to strike a balance.
Song Jian had been in this game for over a week. The game was set in a post-apocalyptic world, with gloomy grey being the dominating color. Prolonged exposure to such a setting weighed heavily on his heart, making it seem as if he was being suppressed by a huge boulder.
“Before building the safe house, 1 might attempt to remodel some other buildings…” Song Jian gazed at the fence surrounding the villa with a thoughtful look.