Chapter 20: Hunting

"Maya, how did I perform today?" Upon entering the Maya System, Fang Chong's primary concern was whether there were any rewards for killing numerous zombies.

"You killed thirty zombies; the system rewards two level points. Two points to enhance the host's physical fitness, and one point for automatic storage," Maya promptly reported the numbers. "With an additional two points, the body will reach level seven, and you won't need to worry even if you encounter two 'Green Corpse Men' simultaneously."

Tomorrow, Fang Chong planned to go hunting zombies with Song Ming. He vividly remembered the first day in the mall, where hundreds of zombies were leisurely wandering around. Considering the evolving ratio of Green Corpse Men, encountering one was already risky; encountering more increased the chance of facing a Green Corpse Man.

"What about the reward for killing the mutated lizard?" Fang Chong paused, not hearing Maya continue, expressing his confusion.

"The mutated lizard is classified as a Level Ten mutated creature. The host completed the kill task five days in advance. The system automatically rewards one gift package. Please check, host." In response to Fang Chong's inquiry, Maya System remained silent for a moment before displaying a series of data on the screen.

"And a big gift package, today is indeed a profit." Fang Chong's eyes lit up as a red gift package appeared out of nowhere in the room. The contents of the big gift package were bound to be impressive.

"Additionally, host, for peeling off the mutated lizard's scales, skill level increased by five."

"For cutting off the mutated lizard's tail and crafting a weapon, skill level is fifteen. The system automatically rewards a 'Great Sword' capable of cutting through the scales and fur of any creature below level twenty."

"Freaking amazing!" Fang Chong, witnessing the consecutive rewards from the Maya System, was genuinely amazed and felt incredibly lucky. After coming to his senses, his focus lingered on the red gift package; he hoped to be surprised once again.

"Strength Gene Potion." Fang Chong opened the gift package to find a single red bottle inside, with only six simple words on it.

"Strength Gene Potion: Can enhance human qualities and accelerate level progression." As Fang Chong picked up the gene potion, a set of instructions appeared in his mind.

"It can elevate strength to that of five individuals." Fang Chong initially planned to drink it right away, but after reading the instructions, he felt the potion might not be particularly useful for him. Already possessing the strength of seven individuals, consuming such a gene potion seemed like a waste.

Just as he was about to curse the system for giving him such a seemingly useless potion, he suddenly remembered he wasn't alone now—Song Ming was a perfect fit. Given Song Ming's physique and character, evolving into a speed or agility-oriented entity would seem awkward.

"Alright, giving it to Song Ming," Fang Chong decided.

"Maya, is it okay to give this potion to someone else?" Fang Chong, having made up his mind, realized there might be another issue. Previously, items like the Apocalypse Survival Manual couldn't be shown to others, and now he wasn't sure about the gene potion.

"No problem," Maya nodded.

"That's good." Fang Chong, relieved by Maya's affirmation, then exited the Maya System, returning to reality where Song Ming was already sound asleep.

The silver moonlight still spilled through the window, creating a quiet ambiance.

"Rest well; we can't be careless tomorrow." After consoling himself with those thoughts, Fang Chong fell asleep.

The second floor of the mall remained safe; zombies hadn't breached it yet.

After a night's rest, Song Ming looked much better, with improved color on his face and a healthy appetite, eating just as much as Fang Chong.

"Song Ming, we'll be heading down soon. Remember, don't let the zombies scratch you." Fang Chong cautioned Song Ming. Though the potent virus in the air no longer affected humans, the viruses carried by zombies were a different story.

"Got it." After a night, Song Ming, like Fang Chong, had to accept the reality of this apocalyptic world. They couldn't stay in the mall indefinitely; food would eventually run out. To survive, they had to venture outside.

Survival became their sole objective.

"Keep the axe with you. Use it to chop zombies. Remember, never lose it." After inspecting the weapons they had, Fang Chong handed the "Great Sword," awarded by the system the previous night, to Song Ming. The sword, over a meter long, truly lived up to its name. When swung, it should exude an imposing presence.

Fang Chong had worried about what weapon to give Song Ming before last night, but those concerns were now alleviated.

The "Great Sword" boasted a razor-sharp blade similar to Fang Chong's "Annihilation," making it child's play to deal with level-five zombies. The only other weapons they had were the mutated lizard's tail, two firefighting axes just over a foot long, and an unused kitchen knife.

With the weapons distributed, Fang Chong and Song Ming crossed the wall of zombies and descended the stairs cautiously.

Although Fang Chong had killed numerous zombies, the quantity on the lower floors was daunting compared to what they had encountered above.

Morning was always eerily quiet. Despite Fang Chong and Song Ming deliberately treading lightly, the zombies were still clearly visible.

"Hiss." Bending over, Fang Chong and Song Ming crouched at the stairwell, peering outside.

Seeing a multitude of zombies wandering everywhere, Song Ming involuntarily gasped, suppressing a potential scream for fear of attracting the undead.

"Let's keep it quiet, split up, and kill zombies. Try not to make too much noise. We'll avoid attracting attention as much as possible," Fang Chong advised. He was satisfied with Song Ming's restraint from screaming.

Killing zombies didn't involve any elaborate battle plans; the main goal was to minimize noise.

"Yeah," Song Ming nodded, hands trembling as he gripped the "Great Sword."

"The weak point of zombies is their heads. Try to chop off their heads whenever possible." Fang Chong reminded Song Ming once more before venturing outside, concerned that Song Ming might forget the zombies' weak point.

"Mmm." Song Ming nodded earnestly. Fang Chong's calm demeanor so far had earned Song Ming's trust, and the determined look in Fang Chong's eyes instilled confidence in him.

"On the left passage, only three zombies. Let's start from there." Fang Chong pointed to a relatively secluded corner. Starting with fewer zombies to avoid getting surrounded was the wisest choice.

"Look, the key is to be quick, accurate, and ruthless with your strikes." Fang Chong, fearing that Song Ming might not adapt quickly enough, demonstrated a swift move when they encountered the first zombie.

"Swish." A head was swiftly severed by Fang Chong.

PS: please collect it, thank you!