In the few seconds the two moved,
the Zombies around them had already closed in, even those surrounding the horses.
Shawn and Rick stood back to back, pressed against each other.
One shot forward, clearing a path, while the other cautiously watched his back, ready to shovel any approaching Zombie.
Although it was only a dozen meters, at this moment, the two felt it was longer than a month.
"There are too many, we have to hurry! You… Shawn!!"
Rick's sudden exclamation caught Shawn's attention.
But before he could turn his head, he felt a strange pulling sensation on the back armor at his lower back.
Shawn, acting on instinct, swung his shovel behind him.
Thud—
A dull thud sounded, and the Zombie that had poked its head out of the car window was directly knocked back in by Shawn.
But when he turned around, he met Rick's complicated gaze.
"Hmm?"
Following Rick's gaze, Shawn touched his lower back; the initial skin texture he felt made his heart sink, followed by a sharp stinging pain, and Shawn's fingertips were stained with warmth.
Looking at his fingertips, the fresh blood on them made Shawn's face turn pale, and his pupils contracted sharply from the shock.
"I… I… was bitten?"
His mind went blank; Shawn wasn't even prepared to accept the fact.
This was different from what he imagined; he shouldn't die here...
Shawn raised his head, his face pale, his fingers trembling non-stop, the fear in his heart reaching its peak at this moment.
No wonder Rick had such a look; would he soon become one of the Zombies?
No… no, that's not right… it shouldn't be like this…
A buzzing sound filled Shawn's ears, just like the sound when Rick fired his gun in the tank not long ago.
"Buzz… Hey, hey! Shawn! Can you hear me? Let's get out of here first!"
Rick's tone was urgent, and he shook Shawn's body a few times.
Shawn's eyes gradually cleared; looking at the Zombie behind Rick, he grabbed Rick and, holding the entrenching tool with one hand, smashed it, causing the Zombie to stumble and fall by the roadside, struggling to get closer.
"Phew—Rick, I can't go on, you go."
Shawn's chest heaved, but after the fear briefly reached its peak, what followed was a burning rage!
Unemployment, crossing into the apocalypse, getting bitten on the first try… Why did all this crap happen to him?!
"Shawn…"
Rick stared blankly at this Chinese soldier he had only known for a short 15 minutes, feeling somewhat speechless.
Strictly speaking, Shawn was the first person Rick had a life-and-death separation from in this apocalypse.
"Go!!"
Shawn handed the grenade to Rick; his chest heaved rapidly, he could no longer hold back, and a strong murderous aura emanated from him.
It wasn't that he didn't want to leave; being bitten in the waist, leaving would only lead to a bullet to the head. Rather than that, he might as well vent his frustration one last time.
Rick took a careful look at Shawn, then without hesitation, turned and ran towards the alley; a few clear gunshots rang out, then gradually faded away…
"Now, it's time to properly entertain you ungrateful beasts."
"Maybe, after death, I can still go back…"
Shawn grinned; in his eyes, the Zombies all turned into cattle, sheep, and pigs, just blurry masses of blood and flesh.
Compared to his previous timidity and fear, after the first bite, Shawn seemed to have suddenly awakened, full of courage! Fearless and brave!
Shawn suddenly remembered that phrase from a short video in his previous life.
Humans hide only because they possess wisdom, avoiding injury after weighing the pros and cons.
But when humanity breaks that first barrier, the truly terrifying upright ape that rules the Earth finally comes online!
Holding the entrenching tool vertically, its sharp side blade directly sliced across the Zombie's face.
The oncoming Zombie's face caved in like a chocolate cake, losing its balance and falling directly to the ground.
Shawn was expressionless, his military boot stomping its head completely flat.
He swung his shovel at the staggering Zombie that approached him.
He grabbed the long hair of a nearby Zombie and, with all his strength, pulled it backward, sending it tumbling to the ground.
Compared to earlier, Shawn at this moment was like a god of war!
Fearless of bites, fearless of the virus, no longer holding back his strength, only the mad release of the resentment in his heart.
"Come on!!"
Shawn roared, and another shovel swing.
The Zombie stumbled and fell, and the entrenching tool in his hand slightly bent.
An entrenching tool is not a complete blunt instrument; repeatedly hitting the Zombie's skull, it naturally couldn't hold up forever.
On the other hand, after several kills, Shawn, although slightly panting, his anger not only did not diminish but increased.
"I was slaughtering pigs just fine… Bang~~… You motherfuckers came to cause trouble… Bang~~… You want to eat me?… Slash~~… I'll kill you all clean first!!"
His roar attracted more Walkers; the entrenching tool in his hand was already twisted, completely bent into a semi-curved shape.
Shawn, without reservation, plunged the entrenching tool into the neck of the Zombie in front of him; a pool of dark red blood slowly flowed down the long handle of the entrenching tool as the Zombie's neck twisted.
The blood, which had been cold for who knew how long, added a sticky, greasy feeling to Shawn's palm.
But just at this moment!
Shawn suddenly paused, the surprise and delight on his face impossible to hide.
Before his eyes, several lines of golden and red text appeared.
[Killed Zombie count 10/10]
[Level Up, Lv1 → Lv2]
[Level experience required calculated as: previous level's value * 1.02]
[Gained Skill Points: 3 (First Time) You can now allocate points]
[You are infected, please take Antibiotics as soon as possible]
[Antibiotics: Can eliminate infected status and restore health]
In an instant.
A golden light flashed before Shawn's eyes; he seemed to have suddenly become somewhat different.
In the bottom left corner of his vision, several horizontal bars of different colors appeared.
They respectively represented: Food, Water, Stamina, Health.
And at this moment, apart from the Food, Water, and Stamina bars, which had already dropped by more than half, the Health bar was continuously decreasing.
Directly above the four horizontal bars, a capsule icon was faintly blinking, indicating an emergency.
"This is… seven days to die?!"
Shawn was overjoyed, thinking that the old blind man hadn't lied to him after all, "When the mountains and rivers end, there seems to be no road, but then the willows darken and the flowers brighten, and there is another village!"
Shawn, Shawn, see Wu but don't take!
…But even so, the current situation wasn't that good.
Shawn looked at the seemingly endless tide of Zombies around him; people who had died in most of Atlanta were continuously arriving, witnessing the birth of the new king of the apocalypse.
Shawn's eye twitched, suddenly regretting his earlier decision.
Thoughts flashed quickly through his mind; there wasn't much time for Shawn to think.
Shawn quickly retreated two steps, his back pressed against the wall by the roadside, and silently chanted 'add points.' Then, his vision blurred, and an add point panel appeared before him.
The panel was off-white and looked simple and clear.
On the left were the skills, and on the right were detailed explanations of the skills, just like in the game.
The only difference was that when Shawn opened the skill panel, only the 'Perception' and 'Strength' sequences of the five major skill sequences were unlocked.
The other three sequences—'Fortitude,' 'Agility,' and 'Wisdom'—were temporarily locked.
"No matter what, with only three skill points right now, it's completely enough."