Apocalypse: I Can See the HP Bar, Killing Monsters Drops Loot Chapter 4 - 4 4: Initial Victory_1

The following morning.

Wang Tao rose at dawn.

He first examined his phone, which was fully powered, but there was still no signal, and emergency contacts failed too.

Utilities like water and power in his home were still operational.

He gazed at the vivid azure sky overhead.

Has the base station failed, or perhaps the satellites? Might another catastrophe be unfolding?

Shaking off the worry, he decided against dwelling on it.

Wang Tao pulled various items from the fridge and prepared a hearty morning meal.

After that, he cleared the bookshelf of volumes; they served as bargain adornments, yet the tomes were genuine.

He selected volumes of fitting dimensions and secured them with tape to his forearms, shins, torso front and rear for safeguarding. He left his thighs and upper arms unbound since those spots required power exertion, and binding them would hinder effective force application.

Weapons came next, and the kitchen held a few sharp blades. Yet they seemed somewhat brief. Pondering briefly, he fastened a blade to a rolling pin, fashioning a crude short spear.

Wang Tao had considered crafting a spear from a mop handle, but the hallway was rather confined, and an overly lengthy weapon could prove useless; it might even jam, leading to catastrophe.

The rolling pin's length proved ideal, avoiding excessive shortness that raised infection risk, or undue length that rendered it cumbersome.

Finally, Wang Tao located a sturdy hand towel and a set of yellow blue-light blocking glasses. He enveloped his head, face, and eyes completely.

After all, the zombie virus spread easily, so precautions demanded utmost caution!

Wang Tao inspected his reflection in the tall mirror.

A figure over 1.8 meters in height, robust and sturdy, appeared in the glass, clad in black gloves, a black mask, yellow lenses, brown trekking boots, bundled securely from head to toe, with DIY arm guards on his limbs, clutching a handmade short spear. He appeared thoroughly fortified.

With preparations complete, Wang Tao positioned himself silently by the door.

The zombie roamed the stairs up and down, eventually ascending.

Wang Tao held his patience, not charging out.

The undead creature first ascended to the sixth level, then descended to the fifth, before proceeding down to the fourth.

Peering through the spyhole and confirming the zombie descended with its back exposed, Wang Tao inhaled deeply and flung the door open abruptly.

Clack

The security door's creak jolted the zombie, which twisted its rigid form, revealing a horrifying, twisted visage.

Whoosh!

Wang Tao clutched the improvised short spear and thrust toward the zombie's skull.

Spotting a living being, the zombie unleashed a savage growl and whirled about. Yet its rigidity caused clumsy motion; it almost stumbled, lurching forward. Wang Tao's thrust went astray!

Nevertheless, Wang Tao hadn't anticipated instant death. The sharp kitchen knife served for thrusting or slicing alike. Grasping the rolling pin firmly with both hands, he swung it downward with full force!

Slice

The blow sliced from the zombie's shoulder to its midsection. The tattered clothing obscured the wound's depth, yet Wang Tao spotted a portion of HP vanishing over the zombie's crown.

[-14]

[486/500]

What in the world!

That slice only depleted so little HP?

Wang Tao realized zombies possessed substantial HP, but he hadn't foreseen such resilience. Or perhaps, his swing lacked sufficient might!

Though startled, Wang Tao stayed composed within.

Both he and the zombie occupied the hallway, with the undead lower and him elevated. He had deliberately selected this vantage; height surely offered benefits.

Wang Tao swiftly drew back the blade, and the zombie seized the moment to pounce, its bloodied claws grasping for him.

Wang Tao retreated two steps promptly, evading the assault, then lunged with a follow-up slice.

Zombies failed to evade strikes intentionally; the prior miss was mere chance. Now, the thrust struck squarely on the zombie's brow, yet it barely penetrated!

The cranium ranks as the toughest human bone, and Wang Tao's kitchen knife was of middling quality, its edge somewhat blunted. Failure to breach on first try came as no shock.

Yet what astonished Wang Tao was the minimal harm inflicted.

[-3]

[483/500]

Shouldn't the head count as a zombie's vulnerability? Why such scant damage? Perhaps the bone's hardness prevented breaching defenses?

These notions flashed in his thoughts as Wang Tao tightened his hold on the short spear and drove it upward from lower right to upper left with ferocity.

Swish!

The edge slashed across the zombie's throat.

Pfft

Blackened blood sprayed from the gash as the zombie reeled backward a pace. Wang Tao's incision was superficial; it parted the flesh but spared the head.

Still, Wang Tao felt a surge of thrill.

For this blow's damage proved substantial.

[-117]

[366/500]

This slash drained over a fifth of the zombie's vitality!

The throat serves as another zombie weak point! And severing it proves far simpler than the head!

Furious, the zombie barreled toward Wang Tao once more, extending its arms to claw savagely at his features.

Wang Tao stood mere steps from the rear wall, limiting evasion this round. He shifted the spear to his right hand, lifted his left arm, and parried with the arm guard against the zombie's onslaught.

Bang!

Wang Tao staggered back two strides, slamming into the barrier.

This marked Wang Tao's initial clash with a zombie assault, revealing why tales described their tremendous power. Despite his robust physique, absorbing the hit left his limb tingling. For others, it might have felled them outright.

But noting his own HP untouched, Wang Tao brimmed with vigor.

This world operates by real rules, not game code!

In virtual realms, any monster contact deducts HP, be it minor or major—that's the system's dictate.

Yet actual existence differs; evade direct impact, and HP stays intact!

Wang Tao's superior conditioning ensured the guard's buffer caused no wound, merely numbness, preserving his full health.

Grasping this truth, Wang Tao's gaze ignited with determination.

Games enforce rigid combat protocols for beasts. Absent instant-kill features, even superior might yields no one-shot demise.

But true life defies such constraints!

Emboldened, Wang Tao surged forward instead of fleeing, barreling toward the zombie with intensity.

The zombie bellowed in rage and countered Wang Tao's advance.

Clash!

Mid-collision, Wang Tao summoned his utmost power, propelled off the floor, and delivered a brutal kick to the zombie's torso.

The zombie's might was formidable, but its mass mirrored the living's, barely exceeding a hundred pounds. Such bulk couldn't resist Wang Tao's charged strike.

The zombie tumbled rolling to the fourth-floor landing's bend.

Unceasing, Wang Tao planted his foot on the step and vaulted with force. Soaring like an aerial warrior, he dove at the prone zombie. Spear clutched overhead in both fists, upon descent he plunged it ruthlessly into the foe below!

Pfft!

Aided by downward pull, the point buried deep in the zombie's brow.

[-366]

[0/500]

Instant takedown!