The ROTC building was a brick fortress on the south side of campus.
The morning sun illuminated the bloodstains on the grass, making the campus look like a painted nightmare.
Su Chen walked casually. He didn't hide. He didn't crouch.
Why would he?
Surrounding him was a phalanx of 15 Skeleton Warriors. They moved in a protective circle, their bony feet clattering on the pavement in unison.
Su Chen opened the Global Chat while he walked.
[World Channel]
[User998: "I'm so hungry... does anyone have food? I'll trade my watch! It's a Rolex!"]
[User102: "Idiot. Gold is useless. A piece of bread is worth more than a diamond ring right now."]
[User77: "Beware of the Dog Monsters! They hunt in packs!"]
[User55: "Has anyone seen the Ranking List? 'Anonymous' is Level 6! How is that possible? I killed one zombie and almost died!"]
Su Chen closed the window. The desperation of the world was just background noise.
He reached the Armory door. It was a heavy steel blast door.
[Eye of Truth Analysis:]
[Lock Mechanism: Biometric + Physical Key.]
[Durability: 5000/5000.]
[Break-in Success Rate: 0%.]
Without the key from the Gym Teacher, Su Chen would have never gotten in here.
He inserted the key. He placed his hand on the scanner (the system had overridden the biometric requirement for key-holders).
CLANK. HISS.
The heavy hydraulic pistons disengaged. The door swung open.
The smell of gun oil and stale air hit him.
Su Chen stepped inside. His eyes scanned the racks.
It wasn't a military base, so there were no RPGs or tanks. But for an ROTC armory, it was a goldmine.
[Item Detected: M4A1 Carbine (Modified)]
[Grade: Common (White)]
[Attack Power: 40 (Physical)]
[Rate of Fire: 800 RPM]
[Hidden Attribute: System-Enhanced. Bullets deal 10% extra damage to Undead.]
[Item Detected: Riot Shield (Standard)]
[Defense: 30]
[Item Detected: 9mm Ammunition Box x50]
Su Chen grinned.
"Jackpot."
He didn't grab a gun for himself. His [Eye of Truth] told him that his personal aim was mediocre at best.
Instead, he turned to his skeletons.
"Drop the knives," Su Chen ordered.
The skeletons dropped their rusty blades and rocks.
"Equip."
He handed an M4A1 to the nearest skeleton. The undead warrior gripped the rifle. Its bony finger slid perfectly into the trigger guard.
[System Notification:]
[Minion Equipped with Ranged Weapon.]
[Calculating Accuracy...]
[Skeleton Proficiency: Low.]
[Correction: 'Weapon Mastery' Passive (Card) available. Apply to Minions?]
Su Chen paused. He remembered the [Weapon Mastery] card he got from the Butcher.
Usually, passives were for the player. But he was a Necromancer. His power came from his army.
"Apply to all summoned units."
[Effect Applied. All current Minions gain 'Basic Firearm Proficiency'.]
The skeleton raised the rifle. It didn't hold it awkwardly anymore. It shouldered the stock firmly, cheek against the plastic, barrel pointing straight.
Su Chen handed out the gear.
Within ten minutes, his ragtag group of bone-thugs had transformed.
- 10 Skeletons armed with M4A1 Carbines.
- 5 Skeletons armed with Riot Shields and Batons (The Tank Squad).
"Let's test the DPS (Damage Per Second)," Su Chen said.
He walked out of the armory.
He didn't have to look far for targets. The noise of the heavy steel door opening had attracted attention.
From the nearby dormitory, a horde of zombies poured out. About thirty of them.
[Horde Detected: Infected Students (Level 2-3).]
[Distance: 50 meters.]
Usually, a player would run. Thirty zombies could swarm and kill even a Level 5 warrior.
Su Chen stood still. He lit a cigarette he found in the armory (he didn't smoke before, but the apocalypse changes people).
"Formation," he said calmly.
The 5 Riot Shield skeletons stepped forward, locking shields to create a wall.
The 10 Rifleman skeletons formed a line behind them, barrels resting in the gaps between the shields.
It was a Phalanx. With guns.
The zombies shrieked, sprinting toward them.
40 meters.
30 meters.
"Fire," Su Chen whispered.
BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!
The noise was deafening. Muzzle flashes lit up the morning air.
It wasn't a fight. It was an execution.
The 5.56mm rounds, enhanced by the System, tore through the rotting flesh like paper. Heads popped like watermelons. Limbs were severed in mid-air.
[You have slain a Zombie.]
[You have slain a Zombie.]
[You have slain...]
The notifications scrolled so fast they became a blur.
The zombies didn't even reach the shield wall. They were mowed down at the 10-meter mark. Piles of corpses stacked up, twitching.
Click.
The skeletons stopped firing as their magazines ran dry.
Su Chen exhaled a puff of smoke.
[Total Ammo Consumed: 120 rounds.]
[XP Gained: 1,500.]
[Time Elapsed: 12 seconds.]
"Efficient," Su Chen nodded. "But loud."
The gunfire was like a dinner bell.
From the city streets beyond the campus walls, a howl answered. And then another.
[Warning: High-Level Threat attracted to noise.]
[Target: Mutant Licker Pack (Level 5).]
[Count: 6.]
Su Chen reloaded a fresh mag into a spare rifle he was holding.
"Reload," he commanded his army.
The skeletons moved with mechanical precision, ejecting empty mags and slapping in new ones.
Su Chen looked at the campus gates.
He wasn't trapped in here with the monsters.
The monsters were trapped in here with him.
"Let them come," Su Chen said, his eyes cold. "I need the XP to reach Level 10."
Level 10 was the first milestone. The "Class Advancement."
And Su Chen intended to be the first human on Earth to reach it.