Chapter 6: Open the Door! Brothel Raid

Alexander currently had 4 free attribute points, but he wasn't in any hurry to allocate them. There was no time to ponder his future path right now. Many of the terrifying hidden professions from before his rebirth hadn't even been inherited by anyone yet—he could choose an entirely new path. Besides, his current base stats were more than sufficient:• Strength: 12• Spirit: 17• Constitution: 11• Agility: 14

Compared to ordinary people, these stats were far superior. However, he knew he couldn't waste any time now—he needed to clear out the nearby zombies first. At night, zombies' base attributes increase by at least 50%, and since the Apocalypse Game's night lasts from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM, night was fast approaching. He had to reach a safe zone before 8:00. This short one-hour gap between the apocalypse's start (at 7:00) and nighttime left little time to prepare—and many players had already perished on that first night.

Clutching his dagger—his only weapon so far, a "blank slate" with no bonus attributes—Alexander stepped out of his room into the narrow corridor of the inn, barely wide enough for two people side by side. This floor had ten rooms in total, and he decided to start with Room 210 at the end of the hall. His footsteps on the creaky old floor made loud creaks; even before reaching Room 210's door, his steps had drawn unwanted attention due to the terrible soundproofing.

He heard a guttural "grr…" coming from inside Room 210, followed by rapid, clumsy footsteps approaching the door. Opting to strike first, Alexander slashed at the rusty door lock with his dagger. The old lock—merely decorative—was quickly busted open by his blade. With a forceful pull, he flung the door open.

There, a zombie wearing a white tank top appeared. Its skin was darkened and it boasted a heavily muscled build—as if it had been accustomed to hard labor in its past life. Alexander quickly checked its stats:

[Normal Zombie]Level: 1Base Attributes: Strength: 12, Spirit: 5, Constitution: 13, Agility: 9

Even though this zombie's stats were a few points higher than average, Alexander dispatched it with ease. He swung his dagger in a graceful arc and launched his attack. The zombie's ashen eyes flickered, and it swung its long, claw-like nails toward Alexander's face. Anticipating the threat, Alexander swiftly ducked, evading the lethal claws, and then dove right at the zombie. The stench of decay filled the air, but he paid it no mind—driving his dagger sharply into the zombie's throat. Although his first strike didn't instantly kill it, the system promptly chimed:

[Congratulations to player "Yazī" for successfully killing a zombie, earning 1 XP and 1 coin]

The zombie's body toppled backward onto the floor, sending up a burst of dust. Alexander took a deep breath; in just the span of two breaths, he had dispatched a higher-than-average zombie. Still, he wasn't completely satisfied—his initial strike hadn't been lethal. To advance from Level 2 to Level 3 required 10 XP, and he still needed to eliminate nine more Level 1 zombies.

Kicking the fallen zombie aside, Alexander discovered that it had dropped a card—a common symbol for supplies. Sure enough, when he picked it up, the card read:

[A 70%-Done Sirloin Steak]Selected from imported New Zealand beef sirloin, paired with a special secret sauce for an exquisite dining experience. Activate it to have the steak appear at its optimal temperature in your hands.

This supply card was quite valuable at this stage—even though once shops opened later, its price would drop to around 100 coins, making it affordable for everyone. Alexander tucked the card into his inventory; it wasn't mealtime yet.

Surveying Room 210 further, he was delighted to find a large cloth bag containing maintenance tools. Evidently, this zombie had been a repairman. He stashed the tool kit in his inventory and grabbed a hammer—useful for mid-range combat since his dagger was rather short. Satisfied, he left Room 210.

Room 210 was at the end of the corridor, and beyond it the safety passage was completely sealed by a massive iron door. So, Alexander moved on to the adjacent rooms: Room 208 was empty, and so was Room 207. He felt a tinge of disappointment—why were there so few zombies?

At last, as he reached Room 206's door, he heard a roar—two zombies roaring in unison. Perfect, now the action had begun! His eyes lit up; he smashed the door lock with a single blow of his hammer, then kicked the door open while shouting,"Open up—brothel raid, brothel raid!"

It must be said that before the apocalypse, Alexander had been a man of few words—and in his previous ten-year ordeal, he maintained a cold, ruthless demeanor. But in this life, after he executed Carrie, his personality had gradually brightened—a rebound from too much repression, much like how some patients swing from depression to mania.

Inside the room, two zombies looked utterly dumbfounded. "Are you kidding me? I'm already a zombie and you still want to 'raid the brothel'?" one might think. Another muttered, "Damn, they're all naked!"

Indeed, as soon as he opened the door, Alexander was surprised to see two completely naked zombies. It then dawned on him—this was a pink-themed inn. No wonder.

One of the male zombies charged at him. Glancing at it, Alexander joked, "Seriously, bro? With your… size, you sure come out to play?" The zombie seemingly understood and let out an angry roar. Alexander had already checked its stats—it was two points lower than the repairman zombie, no wonder it was as puny as an earthworm.

With his hammer, Alexander smashed the zombie's head with a solid "thud." The blow shattered its skull and destabilized its body. Seizing his dagger with his other hand, he slashed into the zombie's neck—and the word "DEATH" flashed across its head.

[Congratulations to player "Yazī" for successfully killing a zombie, earning 1 XP and 1 coin]