The seller who received the water and food felt a swell of satisfaction.
Exchanging an empty pistol for such desperately needed supplies was an incredible stroke of luck!
But when he saw the ID of the person he'd traded with, he was taken aback.
Wasn't that the rumored scammer?
Wait—wasn't it?
The seller posted this discovery in the chat channel, sparking an uproar.
Chen Du, however, remained oblivious to all of this.
Of course, he didn't concern himself with such matters either.
When he heard the soft "ding" of the mail notification, his hand trembled slightly as he opened it.
Inside lay an M9 pistol, resting silently.
[Select to receive]
A sleek, black weapon materialized in Chen Du's backpack.
As he grasped the weighty M9 pistol, a wave of reassurance washed over him.
He opened the window and fired a few shots at the zombies wandering the street below.
His aim left much to be desired.
But thanks to the infinite ammo, several zombies let out agonized cries before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
The sudden burst of gunfire startled Xie Li, jolting her upright.
She stared at Chen Du in shock.
Watching the fallen zombies and the others gathering around them, growling, Chen Du closed the window with satisfaction. Only then did he notice Xie Li staring at him, wide-eyed.
Chen Du merely smiled, then gently stroked the pistol in his hands and murmured, "Finally, finally, I don't have to be afraid anymore."
At that moment, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
[Experience +1]
[Experience +1]
[Experience +1]
[Experience +1…]
[96 experience points needed to level up.]
Chen Du was surprised as he examined his personal panel. He could actually level up.
He just didn't know what benefits leveling up would bring.
After gaining experience, Chen Du noticed a new window displaying his personal information appear on his interface.
Clicking into it, he could clearly see his stats.
Level: 1 (4/100)
Strength: 10
Agility: 3
Stamina: High
Chen Du wasn't sure how these stats were measured, but for now, his strength seemed relatively high.
It might also be due to his high stamina.
Next to the stats was a note: Each time the player levels up, there will be a random allocation of stat increases.
Experience points are earned based on the number and level of zombies killed.
Chen Du closed the personal panel, resting his chin on his hand as he thought deeply.
Hiding in this abandoned supermarket was clearly only a temporary solution.
The mention of zombie levels suggested that later on, there might be zombies capable of breaching the supermarket.
This place wasn't safe.
A strong sense of urgency tempered the relief Chen Du had felt upon acquiring the weapon.
To ensure his survival, he needed to take the initiative, level up quickly, and improve his physical abilities.
Chen Du opened his backpack to check his equipment.
An M9 pistol served as his primary weapon, accompanied by a military dagger, a few Molotov cocktails, smoke grenades, and some iron rods and spikes.
Chen Du wasn't satisfied with the quality of his gear.
To be frank, against zombies, only the M9 pistol and Molotov cocktails would be truly effective.
As for the military dagger, Chen Du was just an ordinary person and lacked the confidence to engage in close combat.
One wrong move, one bite, and it would be over.
After all, he'd seen zombies outside the second-floor window withstand multiple shots before finally falling.
Their resilience was unnerving.
Chen Du climbed to the roof of the abandoned supermarket and took out a pair of binoculars to observe the distant zombies.
The view was excellent here. He decided to use the safe distance of the rooftop to shoot zombies and gain experience.
After roughly estimating the distance, Chen Du chose a relatively safe position, drew the M9 pistol, and began firing.
Many zombies collapsed without even realizing what was happening. The rest, belatedly aware of the source of the gunfire, turned toward Chen Du and let out guttural roars.
Chen Du was momentarily startled but soon realized these zombies only seemed capable of moving closer to him without making any other threatening moves.
These must be the lowest-level zombies—mindless, shambling corpses.
Chen Du relaxed and continued shooting.
The experience bar steadily climbed.
[Experience +1]
[83 experience points needed to level up]
[Experience +1]
[66 experience points needed to level up]
[Experience +1]
[49 experience points needed to level up]
…
After a while, Chen Du suddenly felt a deep rumble within his body, as if a hidden restraint had been lifted, leaving him feeling lighter.
Then, the system voice announced:
"Congratulations, player, on leveling up! Keep up the good work!"
Chen Du was thrilled and immediately opened his personal information to check the changes in his stats after leveling up.
Level: 2 (0/200)
Strength: 12
Agility: 5
Stamina: Normal
Four stat points had been added. It seemed similar to online games.
Chen Du looked at his personal panel and felt fairly satisfied.
After leveling up, he clearly felt that his speed and reflexes had improved significantly.
The pistol in his hand also felt noticeably lighter.
At higher levels, engaging in close combat with zombies wouldn't be too difficult.
Even tearing zombies apart with his bare hands wasn't out of the question.
But at this stage, Chen Du didn't want to let his imagination run wild.
He'd take it one step at a time.
He climbed down from the roof and returned to his second-floor residence.
As soon as he entered the office, he saw Xie Li wriggling weakly on the floor like a caterpillar.
Two days of continuous hunger had begun to take its toll, leaving her delirious.
"Ahem."
Chen Du coughed softly.
Xie Li jolted upright, startled.
At this point, she was like a tightly strung bow; even the slightest disturbance was enough to set her on edge.
As soon as Chen Du produced a steaming plate of fried rice, Xie Li's sunken, desperate eyes locked onto it.
Chen Du inwardly clicked his tongue.
Such hunger—he'd only seen it in documentaries, in the eyes of starving animals.
"Do you want to eat?"
Chen Du helped Xie Li up, then sat down holding the plate of fried rice before her.
Though her stomach growled audibly, Xie Li remained silent in response to Chen Du's coaxing words, her eyes dimming slightly.
Suddenly, Chen Du grasped Xie Li's cheek with his left hand, prying her mouth open. The tender softness against his palm sent an unexpected flutter through his chest.
He stared at Xie Li's haggard yet undiminished beauty, momentarily transfixed.
"What's wrong with you?" Xie Li snapped irritably, confusion flashing across her face.
Without answering, Chen Du shoveled a spoonful of fried rice into her mouth. The burst of savory flavor nearly brought tears to Xie Li's eyes as she instinctively chewed and swallowed.
"You'll never break me!" she declared, rallying her defiance.
Chen Du lifted another golden spoonful toward her lips. "Another bite?"
Despite her ironclad resolve, Xie Li's famished body betrayed her - her mouth opened involuntarily.
Yet in that moment, Chen Du twisted his wrist, delivering the morsel to his own mouth instead. Closing his eyes with exaggerated relish, he hummed: "Mmm! Now that's divine!"