Chapter 007: Can't Do It But Must Be Able.

The big-handed zombie let out a cry, its other hand swatting over, immediately deflecting the ice spear, causing it to only pierce its right shoulder.

But that was enough for Memphis. He immediately spent a point of intellect, shooting cold air into the wound, freezing the zombie's shoulder quickly, then with a pop, it shattered into small pieces, leaving half its body in fragments.

Even so, it didn't die, nor did it feel pain, letting out a loud cry, its swollen arm grabbing the ice spear, trying to pull Memphis closer.

Memphis immediately let go, spending another point of intellect to create an ice hammer, decisively smashing it into its head.

Bop!

The heavy ice hammer crushed the zombie's head into pulp, and it immediately fell to the side, unable to even groan.

Only then did the remaining three zombies notice the commotion, all simultaneously shuffling over, reaching out their monstrous claws towards Memphis.

6 seconds to maintain the skill.

Memphis's head was a bit dizzy, the ice hammer in his hand swung down, with a "bop" sound, smashing the head of the lv4 zombie. The two lv2 zombies showed no fear, opening their mouths to bite.

Memphis immediately sidestepped, kicking one zombie in the stomach, quickly transforming the ice hammer into an ice sword. With two swift slices, he chopped off the two bloody heads.

10 seconds to maintain the skill.

Memphis immediately looked back, only to see Amanda decapitating a zombie. As for Lionel, he had fallen to the side, using a baseball bat to fend off a blood-filled mouth.

Without hesitation, Memphis quickly moved, took a deep breath, and then threw the ice sword.

The ice sword drew an arc, with a "phap" sound, piercing the head of the grotesque zombie.

12 seconds to maintain the skill.

He immediately ended the skill, his head a bit dizzy.

"So... accuracy depends on proficiency... and skill level... within 50 meters, I am... this accurate..."

Memphis's intelligence points were down to 2, making him dizzy and tired, even slowing his thoughts. If he hadn't added 1 point to the ice manipulation skill, increasing proficiency and extending the duration by 2 seconds, Lionel and Amanda might have been dead.

He quickly ran back to the other two, crouched to support Lionel, then shouted:

"Let's go, it's safe now."

Lionel's breath was quick and broken, half laughing and half crying:

"Jackman... Brother Jackman... No, Director Jackman, I owe you my life... Later, I'll give you everything... Money..."

Memphis and Amanda couldn't help but laugh. He and she lifted Lionel's fat body, and the three headed towards the pickup truck.

Opening the door, he let the other two climb in first, then Memphis went back to collect the loot.

Two skill books, one item card, one exp crystal.

He didn't sit there to check but threw them into his backpack, quickly jumping into the passenger seat.

"Lionel, can you drive?"

Lionel nodded. Without the zombie pressure, his remaining 1 stamina point was enough to support his body. He weakly replied:

"Can't do it but must be able, we need to get out of here first."

They saw some zombies lumbering from the yard gate towards them.

Memphis thought for a moment, then said:

"Good. Let's head to the west area, Fairhaven Street."

That was his home address.

"Got it!"

Lionel didn't waste time, quickly starting the engine, shifting gears, and stepping on the gas. The Ford Raptor pickup truck roared forward like a beast. He gritted his teeth, directly hitting two zombies blocking the way.

The two zombies were sent flying, their heads crushed under the wheels, dead beyond death.

Memphis thought, then immediately asked:

"Director, did you gain any experience?"

Lionel used one hand to rub his forehead, honestly replying:

"No, still just 2 experience points."

Memphis pondered. It seemed killing monsters with a vehicle didn't earn experience. He immediately dismissed the idea of using a steamroller to level up.

Only then did he have time to check the loot.

First was a skill book dropped by Lionel.

This fat guy is really lucky, killing a level 1 zombie and dropping a skill.

"Ding. First-tier active skill: Double Strength. Skill attribute: Consumes 2 stamina points, increases 4 strength points. Duration 10 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute. Note: Power and duration are determined by the number of skill points added."

"First-tier skills still have many limitations compared to second-tier skills. Combat skills have shorter cooldowns than support skills... I wonder what third-tier skills will be like..."

Memphis muttered a sentence, immediately tossing the skill book to Lionel while simultaneously showing him how to use it.

"This is your item."

Lionel hastily caught it with one hand, and after struggling for a few seconds to get used to it, the skill book turned into a red glow that enveloped his body. His eyes lit up immediately, sighing:

"So this is the benefit of a skill... Truly miraculous."

Lionel's basic strength was only 6/10. After learning this skill, when activated, he could be as strong as Kieron Leyton's group the pre-apocalypse that occurs.

Memphis continued to examine the remaining two skill books and the item card.

"Ding! First-tier passive skill: Enhanced Resilience. Skill attribute: Permanently gives the owner +3 resilience. The skill cannot be repeated, but can be enhanced and advanced."

"Ding! First-tier active skill: Thunder Ball. Skill attribute: Summons two thunder balls from the sky to strike the target. Activation cost: 1 stamina point, 2 intelligence points. Cooldown: 2 minutes. Note: Power and number of thunder balls are determined by intelligence and skill level."

"Ding! Apocalypse Jacket lv3. Attribute: +1 to all stats. Durability 3/3, can defend against 3 attacks from monsters below level 15. Limited item, cannot stack effects with similar items."

All of them are good items!

Memphis was ecstatic, immediately learning the passive skill to enhance resilience, then putting on the apocalypse jacket, feeling much stronger.

The dizziness from the reduced intelligence also faded significantly.

He clenched his fist. The resilience stat had increased by 4 points, and he finally understood its immense power. This stat provides the owner with a strong body, making the skin and bones tough, able to withstand external attacks and endure harsh conditions.

He picked up the blood-red crystal, observed it, and then scattered it, gaining 16 exp.

By now, he had accumulated 47/80 exp, halfway to level 5.

As for the thunder ball skill book, he decided not to learn it for the time being.

In the back row, Amanda, seeing her companions growing stronger, felt happy and envious, immediately saying:

"I... I can use recovery now."

Memphis, with 8 stamina points, decisively instructed:

"Recover Lionel."

A green light enveloped Lionel, increasing his stamina by 6 points. He immediately felt all his fatigue dissipate, greatly improving his exhausted state.

Amanda in the back let out a groan and slumped into the seat, whispering:

"I... I only have 1 intelligence point left... Hic..."

As soon as she finished speaking, her eyes slowly closed, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Memphis raised an eyebrow, reached back to check Amanda's condition, and felt the air still flowing from her nose, her chest rising and falling gently. She must be in a deep sleep, not dead.

"When stamina and intelligence drop to 1 point, it's easy to fall into a deep sleep. If they drop to 0 points, they might directly faint or even die. We need to be more careful in the future."

He muttered to himself and decided not to use his ice manipulation for the time being to avoid suddenly passing out.

The pickup truck had entered the main road. Ahead was chaotic, with vehicles scattered everywhere, zombies swarming, and people trapped inside broken cars crying for help.

Memphis gritted his teeth, looking at the struggling people, but he could only feel helpless.

Lionel acted as if he didn't hear the cries for help. After observing, he suggested:

"Woodville Avenue is usually very crowded. It's likely there's a traffic jam ahead. How about taking the T02 bypass?"

Memphis thought for a moment and quickly replied:

"Agreed. If there's a gas station, convenience store, or hardware store, we don't mind stopping to search."

The pickup truck roared, quickly reversing, crushing a zombie behind it, then turned and rammed into three other zombies, sending them flying. The tires crushed their skulls as the truck entered a side road.

Fortunately, it was a pickup truck. If it had been a smaller car, it might have gotten stuck and unable to move.

Although T02 was smaller, it was indeed quieter than Woodville Avenue. Lionel, eyes bloodshot, tried to avoid the scattered cars while maintaining control as zombies relentlessly rushed at them.

Memphis sat next to him, terrified. Any small mistake, and if they were stopped, they would surely be surrounded by zombies.

Fortunately, Lionel's driving skills were top-notch. Ten minutes later, a small gas station appeared on the right, and he immediately drove in.

Memphis scanned the desolate scene. After not spotting any high-level zombies, he drew his machete and quickly said:

"You pump the gas, I'll clear the monsters."

"Got it."

Lionel, once a prominent figure before the apocalypse, had grown more resilient after the recent life-and-death ordeal. He no longer trembled in fear at the sight of zombies.

The two jumped out of the truck. Memphis immediately swung his sword, decapitating a zombie, then dodged another's bite and kicked it in the chest.

His foot actually dented the zombie's chest.

His level 3 apocalypse cloak, combined with enhanced resistance, had significantly boosted his physical strength. Each strike was not only faster and stronger but also contained an unpredictable force. If it were Memphis before the apocalypse, even after a year of training, he wouldn't be as strong as he was now.

He swung the machete, severing the zombie's head, then charged straight into the group of zombies dressed in employee uniforms, unleashing a storm of blood and gore.

"Ha ha, this feels great."

Compared to using ice manipulation, dealing with low-level zombies (level 1-3) with the machete was much easier.

After killing more than a dozen zombies, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed in Memphis's mind:

"Ding! The burst rate has reached 100%, you can choose to use the following consumption: First, temporarily double all current potential stats, consuming 10% burst rate per second. Second, unleash a powerful attack that guarantees a critical hit on monsters no more than +5 levels above, with decreasing power as the monster level increases. You can choose to continue accumulating burst points, extending the enhancement duration, or increasing the damage of burst attacks. Accumulated points beyond the required amount are absorbed at double the rate, up to a maximum of 200%!"

Memphis's eyes lit up with excitement; this burst stat was incredible!

Doubling the current state for 10 seconds would allow him to sustain 10 seconds of intense power, easily handling mid-tier monsters without a second thought. A critical attack burst exceeding 5 levels would enable him to kill powerful enemies at crucial moments, creating a game-changing effect. Each choice had its advantages.

Choosing to accumulate was also an option, but he would need to kill two level 1 zombies to accumulate an additional 1% burst beyond the limit.

"Choose to accumulate!"

He was not currently surrounded by threats or facing a powerful enemy, so it was better to accumulate first and decide later.