The Hand of the Skullcrusher

Blue Equipment!?

Lin An's eyes burned with excitement. In his previous life, this was the kind of gear that players from Linjiang City dreamed of—a coveted item now lying right in front of him.

Although he couldn't see its attributes until he equipped it, Lin An was certain that this was The Hand of the Skullcrusher.

Swish.

With his bone spike pressed against the zombie doctor's head, Lin An thrust it in deeply. The spike would easily crush its skull with a slight push.

Before him, the enhanced bones of the zombie were like biscuits, crumbling at his touch under the pressure of his strength.

"Give me your belongings, and I'll spare your life."

"Not enough."

Lin An tilted his head, his eyes locking with the blood-and-flesh skull.

"It's... mine..."

"Then killing you will make it mine."

Lin An coldly interrupted, showing no mercy. The door to the office couldn't hold for long. If this zombie couldn't offer anything useful, he had no reason to waste any more time here.

He had promised Wen Ya that he would check out the nearby building, and Zhang Tie had mentioned a medicine room that needed investigation as well. Time was pressing, and delaying until nightfall would only make the zombies more dangerous. If he got trapped in a horde at night, his survival would be at risk.

"No!"

The zombie doctor's bloodshot eyes filled with human-like fury.

Interesting. It could still get angry, suppress emotions...

Lin An's mind raced, intrigued by the sudden shift in the zombie's demeanor.

Silence.

The zombie doctor stood frozen, seemingly in hesitation.

Hesitating?

Lin An's mind shifted as he realized—if this zombie had intelligence, it would know that failing to offer something valuable would lead to its death. So what was it hesitating about?

Lin An feigned impatience, his right hand pressing slightly on the bone spike, pretending to prepare for the kill.

In an instant, it seemed ready to crush the zombie's skull.

"Th-th-there's... something!"

In a desperate panic, the zombie doctor struggled to speak.

"Something? What?"

Lin An's cold voice cut through the air. "Speak again, and I'll end you."

"And remove your gloves. Or I'll chop your hand off."

"N-no... I... can't... If I take them off... I'll die!"

Fear flashed in the zombie doctor's eyes as it instinctively protected its right hand.

"Not taking them off means you die now."

Lin An's killing intent surged, making the room feel a few degrees colder.

With rage boiling over, the zombie doctor seemed unable to suppress its thirst for flesh.

"Rrragh!"

With a violent motion, the zombie lunged, its gloved right hand hurtling toward Lin An's chest.

It wasn't just the hand; it was as if the glove was pulling its entire body forward in a deadly charge.

You're asking for death!

Crack.

Lin An remained expressionless as he effortlessly snapped its right arm.

Snap.

A single kick sent the zombie doctor's knee shattering, exposing its pale bone.

The difference in strength between Lin An and the low-level mutated zombie was too great, far beyond what a glove could compensate for.

Moreover, this zombie was barely a stage 1 mutant.

Lin An picked up the severed hand and ripped off the glove.

The glove shimmered with blue waves of energy.

Ding! You have obtained the blue equipment: The Hand of the Skullcrusher (Rare).

The Hand of the Skullcrusher – Blue Quality: Equipment Level Requirement: Level 1 (Stage 1)

Attributes: Strength +5

Additional Effect: ????

Item Evaluation: This item is missing a key part. Perhaps you can find a way to complete it and unlock its true power.

Completing the item will upgrade its quality from Rare to Epic.

At the center of the glove, there seemed to be a spot where something was supposed to be attached.

Without hesitation, Lin An equipped the glove.

A muffled groan escaped him as the glove seemed to come alive, tightening around his right hand, molding itself to his skin.

At the same moment, a surge of overwhelming strength rushed into his heart.

Ding! Strength attribute +5.

Lin An smiled.

On day three of the apocalypse, to have gained such power was nothing short of miraculous. The rate of improvement was almost unbelievable.

His fist tightened, the sound of cracking bones echoing as his muscles swelled. With one punch, he could probably crush a light-armored vehicle!

The feeling of becoming stronger was intoxicating.

Lin An's gaze shifted to the empty space in the glove. He was puzzled.

What was the missing part? And what was this "true power"?

It was hard to imagine what would happen if the glove were completed. This was indeed the kind of endgame equipment that players in Linjiang City had lusted after in his previous life.

Just as Lin An was deep in thought, he heard a faint sound from the zombie doctor.

Its eyes filled with terror, the broken body of the zombie seemed to ignore the agony and, despite its shattered legs, it tried to crawl toward the window.

Lin An's cold smile deepened.

It wanted to escape?

With a surge of force, he reached out and effortlessly yanked its head off.

The body continued to claw at the window instinctively, but without its head, it was little more than a ragdoll.

For zombies, as long as the brain wasn't destroyed, any injury was irrelevant.

In Lin An's hand, the severed head opened and closed its mouth, eyes burning with resentment.

"Three seconds. Tell me where the missing part of the glove is."

"Three."

"Two."

The countdown to death began.

The zombie doctor's resentful expression shifted to one of terror.

With intelligence came fear of death.

"S-save... people... I... will tell... you!"

"People and... things... in the nearby... building!"

The zombie doctor spoke faster, driven by the looming threat of death.

Lin An's mind flickered.

People? The nearby building?

Wasn't that the building where Wen Ya's mother was?

Though the number of zombies in the hospital building next door might be fewer than in the emergency room, the danger was still considerable. With so many rooms tightly packed together, the risk of a zombie ambush was no less dangerous than in here.

"Why there? Are you trying to deceive me?"

Lin An's voice was low, ignoring the mention of 'saving people' for now.

But hearing the doctor's words confirmed that there might be something in that building worth investigating. Even if the critical part wasn't there, something important could be.

When he entered the room, the zombie doctor had been facing the building, always staring at it.

"I... beg you... don't... go... there... There's... my... child."

"The gloves... were... his... gift! The thing... is there!"