บท 40: Killing the second-level zombie

Lisa's face immediately turned bitter, looking pitifully at her master. "Alright, stop fooling around. What was so urgent just now?"

Lisa must have had something urgent to say, which is why she acted so impulsively. Normally, she wouldn't be so thoughtless and wouldn't disregard her master's authority.

"Master, do you remember encountering a special type of zombie before? We encountered it inside a residential building while clearing the chemical factory outside the north gate of the hospital..." Lisa quickly adjusted her expression and explained.

"A special zombie?" Derick's eyes lit up as he remembered the second-level zombie he encountered at the police station. He had planned to use the armored vehicle's power to deal with that zombie, but it seemed to sense the danger and fled in advance.

"Let's go, take me there..." Derick became somewhat excited. Killing a second-level zombie might yield more points, and Zelda would definitely join as well...

"Master, be careful~" Lisa watched Derick's departing figure with some reluctance. Although she believed her master was capable of anything, she still felt worried.

"You better be ready for tonight's punishment!" Derick waved his hand, his voice faint. Lisa's face darkened, realizing that she probably couldn't escape tonight and might end up being toyed with by her master.

Zelda and Derick walked towards the interior of the chemical factory. There was no sound here, even during the day, and it was somewhat dark, as if the factory was just as abandoned as it appeared—silent and lifeless.

Derick walked at the front, shining a flashlight, while Zelda followed behind. The entire corridor was silent, and the road beneath their feet was slippery. In the flashlight's beam, they could see rotting flesh and black blood scattered in different places.

Occasionally, one or two zombies would awaken from the ground, emitting terrifying ghostly roars. But before they could stand up, Derick smashed their heads with a single axe blow, splattering more black blood on the ground. It was nothing short of hell on earth.

The entire road was filled with such scenes—mechanical footsteps, the occasional appearance of one or two zombies, dimly lit corridors that seemed endless, and a flashlight that shook incessantly. The repetitive scenes were barely distinguishable from one another.

Splat! Bang!

Two more zombies were simultaneously crushed by Derick's axe, and their black-red blood splattered on the wall, creating an incredibly macabre scene.

Zelda's face remained calm. It wasn't her first time witnessing this. Her master was indeed domineering and powerful, shrouded in an aura of mystery.

Zelda already knew that Derick had bestowed upon her the sudden surge in strength she had experienced. In Zelda's eyes, her master had become even more mysterious and formidable.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Just as Zelda admired her master with reverence, several piercing sounds suddenly rang out around them, followed by an abrupt silence!

A tall figure suddenly appeared less than three meters in front of them.

It was a black, towering zombie wearing oversized gray-blue work clothes. It looked exactly like the King they encountered at the police station, except it was slightly taller and had a stronger life force, seemingly on the verge of evolving into a third-level zombie.

Seeing this second-level zombie, a deep hatred flashed in Zelda's eyes. Her friends, comrades, and even Uncle Jiang had all died at the hands of this zombie.

If she had the power, she would have killed it long ago. Now that she encountered her enemy face to face, her eyes turned bloodshot.

"Master, let me handle this." Zelda's emotions fluctuated, her tone resolute. She wanted to take revenge and kill this zombie with her own hands.

Derick frowned. Second-level zombies were completely different from first-level ones, whether in terms of strength, speed, or even their thinking. They had completely transcended their original primitive state and moved toward a new direction.

Zombies were life forms that underwent extreme genetic mutations. They were not inanimate objects but living beings. Eating, moving, sensing, metabolism...

They possessed the same functions as normal organisms, but some were degraded to zero while others were enhanced to the extreme. Their sensory and feeding abilities had developed to complete extremes.

Zombies lacked vision, but their sensing ability had reached terrifying levels, allowing them to survive even without eating or drinking.

Evolution was an inevitable process. They would not remain in the most primitive stage. Each zombie's mutation could be different. This one seemed to be a strength-type.

In a head-on confrontation, Zelda wouldn't stand a chance, let alone the fact that this zombie was already approaching the third level.

However, no matter what, this zombie's evolution was still within a certain range. It hadn't completely transcended into the realm of the extraordinary. Firearms still inflicted significant damage, albeit not as pronounced as against first-level zombies.

But that was only one aspect. Zelda also had to constantly be mindful of not getting caught or bitten by the zombies. They still didn't have the ability to cure zombie virus infection. If Zelda got infected, it would undoubtedly be troublesome.

"Come here..." Derick didn't refuse this strong-willed policewoman's request and beckoned her over.

Zelda walked over, feeling a bit puzzled. The zombie seemed to be provoked and roared at Derick and Zelda. Derick glanced at it, and the zombie instinctively backed off, sensing the powerful threat emanating from Derick.

Placing his hand on Zelda's forehead, Derick spent 500 points and transferred the master-level Eight Extremities Fist to her. In an instant, Zelda felt a surge of heat flowing through her body, her stamina instantly replenished, her strength doubled, and her mind flooded with newfound knowledge. At the same time, the oppressive feeling when facing the zombie also diminished.

"Master, what is this?" Zelda's eyes brightened as she looked at Derick gratefully.

"Go ahead, now you have the confidence..."

Zelda deeply looked at her master, her eyes filled with love and reverence, but now was not the time for gratitude. She turned around to face the zombie, holding the broadsword in her hand. Instead of using firearms, she wanted to personally sever the zombie's head.

Derick stood aside, observing Zelda's performance.

Facing the zombie, Zelda tightened her mind and suddenly leaned back, distancing herself from the zombie's attack. Then, she swiftly charged forward, while the zombie's sharp claws simultaneously struck. With a forceful motion, Zelda swung her arms!

Swish! Zelda swung her arms forcefully, and the broadsword sliced upwards, creating a rapid friction sound. The sword inserted itself between the zombie's two arms, moving at an extreme speed and strength, aiming for its chin.

Then, a snap!

"Roar!"

A thunderous roar erupted from the zombie's mouth as the sharp edge of the sword penetrated its jawbone!

Zelda didn't relax her vigilance. The skeletal structure of a second-level zombie wasn't as soft and easy to break as that of a first-level zombie. The bones of a second-level evolved zombie were much harder than those of an ordinary human. The previous strike couldn't kill it.

Roar!

An earth-shattering roar burst out of the mouth of the second-level zombie, and Zelda, in close proximity, could even smell the beastly scent emanating from its mouth and the intense anger it exuded.

Using all her strength and speed, Zelda abruptly straightened her backward-leaning slender waist. Immediately after, she swiftly dodged the still-retracting claws, but at the same time, she twisted and lifted her sword.

From top to bottom, slash!

The entire process was extremely fast and completed in one breath, taking no more than a second.

Zelda was quick, and the zombie on the other side was fast too. It had already rapidly retreated at the same time Zelda performed her series of actions, but Zelda's swift and seamless movement still inflicted a second blow on it.

The blade of the broadsword sliced down directly from its forehead, opening a gash that wasn't enough to be fatal, but it caused the zombie to howl in pain and bleed profusely.