Chapter 51: Better Equipment

The machete itself dealt high damage, which, combined with the skill's additional damage effects and the extra attack from the whetstone, allowed it to easily one-shot a zombie.

The success rate of the "Dismemberment" effect was also much higher than Fang Heng had anticipated, triggering with a probability of nearly two-thirds.

Furthermore, Fang Heng possessed a Perception stat as high as 15, more than double that of an average player, which was enough to allow him to anticipate his enemies' moves.

Fang Heng felt as if he were playing a "hack-and-slash" power fantasy game.

It was satisfying, but the continuous use of the machete caused his stamina to deplete at an accelerating rate.

Fang Heng tried to adapt to the output of the large blade by slowing down his attack rhythm.

Hao Zhou led the team quickly around two street corners, as more and more zombies began to cluster toward the group.

The team maintained a rapid pace, but the pressure on everyone increased noticeably, and their movement speed began to slow down.

"Watch out!!"

Hao Zhou suddenly realized a shadow was approaching rapidly from the right side of his vision.

Fang Heng's perception issued a warning at the same time.

He turned his head to look.

A mutated, altered zombie suddenly lunged out from a shop on the right, pouncing directly toward Kun Ta.

"Swish!!"

Kun Ta threw a punch.

The altered zombie agilely shifted its body to the right to dodge the strike.

"It's an Agility-type altered zombie!"

*Clatter...*

The altered zombie stomped heavily on the ground and leaped toward Sister Li, who was inside the formation.

It was incredibly fast; even while still mid-air, it had already raised its sharp claws high.

Fang Heng's Agility was currently as high as 9.8, allowing him to clearly capture the altered zombie's trajectory.

Just as he was about to switch to his shotgun to blast the creature, Fang Heng suddenly sensed something else and jerked his head back toward Hao Zhou.

Veins bulged on Hao Zhou's neck as he let out a loud shout.

"Bind!"

Hao Zhou held his forehead with one hand and pointed at the altered zombie with the other, his face contorted in extreme pain.

It was a Mental Shock!

Hao Zhou's special skill!

The altered zombie in mid-air instantly entered a state of stiffness, falling from the sky while still maintaining the attacking posture it had held a second prior.

"Leave it to me!"

Fang Heng shouted, quickly shoved the shotgun back into his backpack, took a large stride forward, and swung the machete.

The machete slashed downward with immense force.

*Slice!*

With a single stroke, the altered zombie's entire head flew off.

[Prompt: Your attack caused the 'Dismemberment' effect.]

[Prompt: You have killed an Altered Zombie (Agility Boost). You have gained Survival Points * 23.]

Fang Heng raised his hand, and the intact Evolution Crystal left behind by the dead zombie was sucked into his palm.

Hehe! Successful monster steal!

Noticing the gazes being cast upon him by the others, Fang Heng sheathed his blade and said expressionlessly, "Nothing special."

One-shotting an altered zombie with a single move truly startled Fang Heng's teammates.

When ordinary player squads encountered altered zombies, most could only hope to run as far away as possible.

And now, this altered zombie had been instantly killed by Fang Heng with just one blow...

It was quite an embarrassment for the altered zombie species...

However, the group quickly associated this with the machete's special attributes and felt relieved.

They had just been lucky that the 'Dismemberment' effect triggered to produce such a terrifying one-shot effect.

The appearance of the altered zombie made the squad even more cautious.

However, as they ventured deeper into the town, more and more zombies swarmed them.

The team felt as if they were sinking into quicksand, their movement speed slowing more and more.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, Kun Ta kicked out at a zombie attacking from the right.

According to his estimation, this kick should have repelled the zombie, allowing his next punch to shatter its head!

But Kun Ta didn't expect that when he delivered the kick, it felt like he had kicked a slab of iron.

The zombie didn't retreat; instead, he was violently repelled by the impact, causing his body to stumble backward.

Not good! It's an altered zombie!

A Strength-type altered zombie!

Cold sweat poured down Kun Ta's face as he quickly adjusted his balance.

His brain raced to calculate how to deal with the current situation.

He was in trouble!

Just as the altered zombie swung its claw toward him, Kun Ta was suddenly pulled aside by a hand.

"I've got this!"

Fang Heng's keen perception had detected the altered zombie hiding among the common zombies. He pulled Kun Ta away and immediately switched to his shotgun.

"Boom!!"

A gunshot rang out.

Hit head-on at close range by the shotgun, the altered zombie's body staggered, and it retreated several steps, falling into a dual negative state of Stun and Bleeding.

"Whoa, you're pretty tough, aren't you..."

Holding the shotgun with one hand and completely ignoring its powerful recoil, Fang Heng took another step forward.

He pulled the trigger.

"Boom!"

The altered zombie was blown completely away, exploding into a bloody mess of flesh.

[Prompt: You used a shotgun to kill an Altered Zombie (Strength Boost). You gained Firearms Proficiency EXP + 30, and Survival Points * 29.]

The gunshot drew everyone's attention.

Everyone instinctively turned to look at the heavy weapon in Fang Heng's hands.

A shotgun?

It really was a shotgun!!

Envy! Pure envy!

He actually possessed a luxury item like a shotgun, which usually only appeared in the mid-to-late game?

Turns out he was a whale player all along!

Now they knew that when Fang Heng had previously introduced himself saying his "gear was decent," he was actually being modest!

How long had the game even been open? Could you find a second shotgun from another survivor?

It was impossible.

"Quick! Don't just stand there!"

Hao Zhou shouted, calling their attention back.

The gunshot had attracted even more zombies from the vicinity.

In an instant, the awakened squad realized they had been surrounded by zombies.

Seeing that the path ahead was almost completely blocked by zombies, Hao Zhou shouted, "Sister Li, activate the Barrier!"

*Hum...*

A pale white barrier emerged, enveloping the players.

Instantly, the zombies outside the white barrier fell silent.

Having lost their perception of Fang Heng and the others, they had no way to attack and simply stood still.

The group quickly cleared the remaining zombies inside the barrier.

Kun Ta stepped forward to thank him.

"Thanks, Fang Heng. If it weren't for you just now, I would have been in real trouble."

"Don't mention it. We're teammates; it's what I should do."

Hao Zhou quickly identified the location of the community hospital and waved his hand. "Let's go! Over there, follow me!"

The perception protection field moved with Sister Li, meaning the group only needed to deal with the zombies inside the barrier.

With the assistance of Sister Li's barrier, the squad's movement speed increased once again.

A talent like Sister Li's truly deserved an S-rank!

Fang Heng praised her silently in his heart as he swung his machete, following the team forward while continuing to slaughter zombies.

In less than five minutes, they arrived in front of the community hospital.

All the windows of the community hospital had already been boarded up with wood, and an iron gate had been lowered outside the glass entrance door, reinforced with several layers of planks.

For a moment, the group couldn't find any entrance to get into the hospital.

Kun Ba and Kun Ta both looked at Hao Zhou simultaneously, seeking his opinion.

Hao Zhou hadn't expected all the doors of the hospital to be sealed shut, and his brow furrowed.

"I'll do it! Everyone, follow me."

Seeing Hao Zhou still hesitating, Fang Heng called out to the group and walked quickly toward a window on the first floor that had been sealed with wooden strips.

He raised the shotgun and racked the slide.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Violent breaching!

With three shots, the outer layers of wood and glass on the window were blasted to pieces, revealing an entrance.

Damn!

What a big spender!

A single shotgun shell would sell for 100 Survival Points at the Doomsday Merchant camp.

Those three shots meant three hundred Survival Points were gone!

The group gained a much clearer understanding of Fang Heng's "decent gear," and they all silently gave him a thumbs-up in their hearts.

In the apocalypse, meeting a teammate like Fang Heng was truly a stroke of luck!