Capítulo 2: Chapter 2: Doomsday, Proficiency Panel! _1
As if his marrow had been drained, a strong sense of discomfort woke Li Ming up. He opened his eyes abruptly, the room was brightly lit.
"I actually fell asleep last night, what was that thing yesterday evening?"
Li Ming was taken aback. He had slept deeply throughout the night, without a single second of a dream. It was a deep sleep experience he hadn't had for a long time and it left him feeling quite refreshed and even improved his mood.
However, he couldn't help but wonder about the thing that appeared just before he fell asleep the night before.
What was that about an apocalyptic disaster?
What was that proficiency panel thing?
Confused, he got out of bed and went to the window to check the situation. He spontaneously checked the time on his cellphone. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon. He was stunned at how long he'd slept.
As he went to put his phone down, he suddenly glanced at the top-right corner.
"Why is there no signal on my cell phone?"
The uncertainty in Li Ming's heart grew. His phone, combined with the peculiar events from yesterday evening and the overbearing silence of the morning, gave him a bad feeling in his heart. He walked over to the window in the middle of his room, phone in hand and slippers on, and peered down.
The sun shone brightly outside, but the residential area was empty. There was not a single person in sight.
Just as Li Ming was about to go back and get dressed, he saw a figure enter his field of vision. He involuntarily shifted his gaze and his pupils constricted.
"What is that monster?!"
The shared apartment was on the fifth floor, not too high, so Li Ming could see the figure clearly. This creature, body rotting, with its left eye and some other tissue hanging out of the socket, was frantically lunging at a black cat.
"Meow~"
The black cat swiftly dodged, and the creature crashed into a tree.
"Buzz buzz…"
The tree shook as if a strong man had slammed into it.
But the black cat had already jumped away and ran off. The creature made a strange sound, like something was stuck in its throat, and with parts of its dangling eye further dislodged from the impact, it disappeared from view.
Li Ming, standing by the bed, had his mouth slightly ajar in surprise.
Before it slammed into the tree, he had thought it was someone simply dressed up as a monster. But after that collision and the bizarre roar, combined with the noise he heard last night, that idea had disappeared.
Even a fool wouldn't bash his head into a tree that hard and continue undeterred toward the next target.
Even if there was such a fool, after one hit, they would certainly collapse, not walk away as if nothing happened.
So...
"There are freaking zombies!"
With a sense of deep shock, Li Ming remembered the strange phrases that appeared last night.
Disaster apocalypse...survival of the fittest, those unable to adapt will turn into demonic corpses...
His heart pounded and a strong sense of horror rose within Li Ming.
He quickly closed the window, drew the curtains, went over and picked up his dust-covered gunblade that was propped on the corner; holding the weapon made him feel more confident.
He quickly put on his clothes and shoes, then sat on the bed to enjoy the breeze from the fan.
Suddenly, he thought about his neighbors. What if they've also turned into demonic corpses?
Li Ming rushed over to lock the door and used the only table he had to barricade it. Feeling relieved, he sat back on his bed, picked up his phone and glanced at it - still no signal. He was dumbfounded.
The apocalypse came so suddenly.
He had just found a job with a good salary and lots of beautiful women!
Now, the apocalypse has come, does all of that mean nothing?
As thoughts rampaged through his mind, a sense of crisis emerged in Li Ming's heart.
He couldn't help but hastily get up and begin thinking about how to survive.
"From what I can tell right now, the biggest change is the roaming zombies outside. As long as I don't go outside, I should be able to avoid this danger. But what do I do when I run out of food at home?"
After a moment of thought, Li Ming estimated that the food he had stocked up the day before - a 40-pound bag of rice, a 10-pound bag of flour, ten pounds of pork, some fruits and vegetables, seasonings, plus some pickles - would be enough to last him two months at most.
But what about after two months... wait for a rescue while starving?
"No way, I can't rely on these unknown possibilities. I need to find a way to save myself."
Li Ming thought restlessly. Even if he really managed to last for two months, he would probably be so weak that he would gasp for breath after walking a few steps, while the zombies outside might not change at all. They're even called "demonic corpses," which implies they could get stronger.
If things go this way, he would not have a chance to survive.
Thinking quickly, the first thing that came to Li Ming's mind was to go out and look for supplies. He gripped his weapon tightly, recalling the scene of the zombie hitting the tree earlier.
It showed him that, although zombies were scary, they weren't that terrifying. They might not be as weak as portrayed in movies, but at least they weren't impossible to deal with.
Human strength can greatly improve with short-term training. If he could sharpen his knife, strengthen his body in the coming days, and take advantage of the environment, he might be able to kill them!
Unless that particular zombie was an exceptionally weak one.
"I'll observe for a few more days. If it's feasible, there's a small supermarket next to the apartment complex. Even if it's dangerous, I need to get some supplies when I run out of food!"
Li Ming felt very lucky for having his weapon and for purchasing supplies beforehand as his thoughts raced.
Once, the weapon was just a toy, and the food was something he bought to save money. But now they have become his lifeline.
People's hearts are never devoid of courage, yet it only surfaces when pushed to the limit. Even an ordinary person can shed blood fighting!
Especially for a young man in his early twenties like Li Ming, who is filled with fiery passion and enthusiasm.
"At first, I regretted spending the money, but now I see that this object is far more important than money!"
Li Ming couldn't help but smile, then he got up to examine the two weapons.
The red-tasseled spear on the left was 2.2 meters long. This length was only a basic model, but it was enough for beginners. Therefore, Li Ming didn't buy a longer one. But if he was to practice, this weapon could not be used in such confined space.
The long sword on the right, with a blade length of 75cm and an overall length of 105cm, was handy for him. Li Ming quickly had some food to fill his stomach. Afterwards, he took the long sword and went to the empty space in the room, eager to give it a try.
"Woosh..."
The long sword was drawn from its sheath. The blade, barely used, was still as shiny as new. Li Ming put down the sheath and held the sword in position.
"Swish swish swish..."
He randomly swung the long sword a few times to vent his emotions. He then recalled the basic swordsmanship he learned impulsively on B Watch Station: the bow-step thrust.
If he wanted to practice swordsmanship, he had to find a way. Starting with the basics that he had learned was the only effective method he could think of.
"Hoo~"
With that in mind, he took a breath, turning his body somewhat awkwardly but striving to follow the steps he remembered. He then thrust the sword forward vigorously.
As the long sword thrust forward, its weight made Li Ming feel very uncomfortable, and his posture was somewhat twisted.
Moreover, because the trajectory of the thrust was not straight, the end of the hilt hit his arm. Not only was the thrust powerless due to the off-target force, but it also hurt himself.
"Damn."
Li Ming hissed in pain. He could barely kill a zombie with such clumsy swordsmanship. After a long period of training, he even suspected that he would bruise his arm.
He couldn't resist and strived to think about how to thrust the long sword correctly, while repeatedly thrusting the long sword in his hand over and over again.
After repeating the move more than ten times, Li Ming felt some fatigue in his arm... This finished sword in his hand weighed three pounds. It didn't sound heavy, but for him, who had not exercised for a long time, it was quite difficult to handle it freely.
After these more than ten attempts, not only did he not thrust the sword correctly once, but his forearm was also red from the impact by the hilt.
Refusing to admit defeat, Li Ming gritted his teeth and continued to practice, enduring the stiffness in his arm. Fortunately, he was not fruitless after these ten attempts while pondering. At the very least, he was familiar with the posture. Hence, he thrust the sword more than ten times in succession again.
At last, he felt a bit smoother in one attempt.
"Whoosh..."
The long sword was thrust straight forward along a steady trajectory. Even though he used all his strength, the hilt did not hit his arm.
Li Ming withdrew the sword with satisfaction, thinking that at least his arm was safe. He was about to give a pleased grin when he suddenly paused. He immediately grabbed the hilt with delight.
[Bow-Step Thrust Skill Experience +1]
A line of characters swept past his sight, and in an instant, a set of information was displayed in front of Li Ming.
[Name: Li Ming]
[Lifespan: 23/95]
[Skill: Bow-Step Thrust (Skill Beginner Level 1%)]
"This is the message that rose up last night, the proficiency display?"
Li Ming clenched his hilt, feeling the overwhelming joy rising in his heart. It felt as if he had finally seen the clear sky after parting the clouds.
The unease in his heart had landed, and he felt much more settled, like the receding tide.
After disposing of the information, he carefully studied the panel. He found that except for the skill column, the rest of the data had no reaction.
"'Lifespan' should mean the current age and the length of life one can live. Naturally, considering my health, I could live up to 95 years old. This is already higher than the average lifespan," he thought.
"'Name' directly displays the real name, and it can't be changed..."
Having equipped his newly-found knowledge, Li Ming, in the end, opted to open the skill 'Bow-Step Thrust', and the detail entered into view.
[Bow-Step Thrust, Fragmentary Level Skill.]
The simple introduction left Li Ming taken aback before he was abruptly brought back by a shriek from outside the door.
"Ah, it's a monster!"
That voice... is it Zhang Yuan's?
What's happening...
Li Ming couldn't help but frown, and retracted his sword to look outside.
After thinking for a while, he did not rush to the door. Instead, he quietly moved behind the door to eavesdrop.
"Stop shouting, if they hear you, they'll come for us..."
Few. Luckily, Peng Zhi's voice came up next caused Li Ming to shook his head and let out a sigh of relief... just now he had been worrying that Peng Zhi had turned into a zombie and attacked Zhang Yuan. But thankfully that did not happen.
Otherwise, if a zombie appeared directly in the shared house, it would be a disaster.
Feeling that there was no danger, Li Ming finally went out to have a look. In such abrupt change, he needed to discuss with his neighbours for a plan.
He was not an isolated person. Under such circumstances, discussing as a group was obviously better than waiting alone because more people are more likely to find more information.
If you were alone and missed something, you might miss an opportunity to change the situation.
Thinking over it in his mind, Li Ming opened the door and walked into the living room, glancing into Zhang Yuan's room. Zhang Yuan, wearing flip-flops and hot pants, showing her fair, slender legs, was standing bewildered in the hallway facing the door.
From Li Ming's angle, he could even see some private parts squeezed out from the bottom of her shorts.
Next to her, Peng Zhi, wearing underwear and a white vest, was staring out the window with an embarrassing expression.
Presentes
-- Presente
recebido Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder