Hammer Zombie

It hurt—an agonizing, bone-deep pain!

Wang Tao struggled up from the ground. His arm had gone numb, and every other part of his body ached.

-80

170/260

He glanced at his Health Bar. That blow had taken a full 80 HP!

Thud—thud—

Screeech—

It was a massive zombie, at least 2.2 or 2.3 meters tall. It wore orange work clothes with reflective strips and dragged a Reinforced Concrete Hammer behind it as it slowly approached Wang Tao, the rebar scraping sparks from the ground.

"What the hell is that thing?!"

Seeing the 1000/1000 Health Bar above its head, Wang Tao swallowed hard.

After the Hammer Zombie stepped out of the building and into the sunlight, it suddenly raised a hand to shield its eyes. That gave Wang Tao a chance to escape, and he hurriedly ran over to retrieve his weapon.

But when he looked at the little toothpick in his hand, then at the huge club in the zombie's, Wang Tao's expression turned ugly.

How was he supposed to fight that? Thud—thud—

Screeech—

The Hammer Zombie came toward Wang Tao again. Wang Tao looked at the side door, then at the airdrop behind the Hammer Zombie. Gritting his teeth, he immediately prepared to retreat.

The airdrop was great, but only if he lived long enough to take it.

Just then, while still more than three meters away from Wang Tao, the Hammer Zombie suddenly raised its hammer with both hands and smashed it down viciously! "It's slow!"

Wang Tao observed as he dodged.

If it was that slow, then maybe he still had a chance to fight it!

But to Wang Tao's surprise, even though he had clearly dodged the Hammer Zombie's attack, when the hammer struck the ground, it created a small, visible Shockwave!

Thud! Bang! Crash—

Wang Tao was struck directly by the Shockwave and slammed hard into the iron fence.

His vision blurred. It felt as though his internal organs had been displaced, and there was even a sweet taste in his mouth.

-102

-23

45/260

Less than 20% HP remained! Thud—thud—

Screeech—

Dragging the rebar, the Hammer Zombie once again walked toward Wang Tao step by step.

The Hammer Zombie was standing in the doorway now. Even if he wanted to flee, he couldn't get out.

The iron fence around the yard was not very high, but climbing over it would take time. Wang Tao didn't think the Hammer Zombie would give him that time! More importantly, his whole body ached and felt weak. He might not even be able to climb over it.

"Am I really going to die here today..."

Wang Tao struggled to his feet and slowly moved toward the airdrop.

The Hammer Zombie changed direction to follow Wang Tao, but while looking at him, it suddenly raised a hand to shield its eyes again, and its steps came to an abrupt stop.

Though trapped in a desperate situation, Wang Tao remained calm.

"The Hammer Zombie shielded its eyes twice! What is it blocking?"

Wang Tao quickly turned around. The afternoon sun made him squint instantly.

"It's shielding itself from the sunlight! It's afraid of light?!"

Wang Tao was instantly overjoyed. He hurriedly searched through his clothes.

Thud—thud—

Screeech—

Dragging the rebar, the Hammer Zombie slowly approached.

Because it was facing the sunlight directly, it moved very slowly this time, shielding its eyes every few steps. But it still eventually reached a spot not far from Wang Tao and raised the Reinforced Concrete Hammer.

Bang! Wang Tao had been prepared this time and dodged much farther away, avoiding the Shockwave.

But the place was only so large. To evade that strike, Wang Tao had no choice but to leave his position. Once he did, the Hammer Zombie no longer had to face the sunlight directly when looking at him.

Thud—thud—

Screeech—

As the Hammer Zombie approached Wang Tao again and prepared to raise its hammer, Wang Tao suddenly pulled something from his chest and shone it at the zombie.

Flash—

A blinding white beam shot from the flashlight in Wang Tao's hand and struck the Hammer Zombie in the eyes.

Bang—the Hammer Zombie's raised hammer slammed to the ground, and it covered its eyes with one hand.

"Whew—"

Seeing that his flashlight was intact and effective against the Hammer Zombie, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It was a Strong Flashlight he had found while scavenging the building earlier. Even in daylight, its beam was clearly visible. To prepare for any unexpected situations during this trip—such as getting trapped outside overnight—Wang Tao had brought a lot of supplies, and the flashlight was one of them.

But he had never expected that the first time he used a flashlight outside would be under these circumstances.

Now that he had discovered the Hammer Zombie's weakness, Wang Tao was no longer in a hurry to run.

Keeping the flashlight in his left hand trained on the Hammer Zombie's eyes, he gripped the Wolf Tooth Club in his right and quickly rushed up beside it, smashing it across the head!

-34

"..."

That damage number left Wang Tao speechless.

But there was no time to think. Wang Tao struck it twice more.

-25

-31

Wang Tao: "..."

"Roar~"

The Hammer Zombie endured the discomfort caused by the light and suddenly swung its other hand.

Bang! -14

30/260

Wang Tao blocked the blow with the bracer on his arm, but his whole arm went numb, and he still lost 14 health.

Looking at his remaining 30 health, Wang Tao grinned beneath his mask.

"I think I know... how to kill you!"

The Hammer Zombie's hammer-smashing attacks dealt high damage over a wide area, but their windup was slow. As long as he watched its movements and did not get trapped in a corner, he could dodge them with his speed.

And after the Hammer Zombie's eyes were hit by the light, it would spend several seconds covering them. During those few seconds, it would not attack.

A few seconds later, it might swing an arm, but that damage was not enough to kill Wang Tao instantly.

Those few seconds were exactly what Wang Tao wanted. They were enough for him to land several blows! If each strike dealt thirty damage, then as long as he could hit it more than thirty times, he could kill it! Of course, that was the ideal scenario. Wang Tao could not make even one mistake. He only had thirty health left, and his body was exhausted. If the Hammer Zombie hit him even once, he might be killed instantly!

So...

A vial suddenly appeared in Wang Tao's hand.

Running Potion (Small): After injection, lower-body strength increases and running speed rises by 10%-100% (the stronger the physique, the greater the increase). Lasts 10 minutes. Cooldown: 12 hours.

"I'll gamble on it. If my speed increases by more than 30%, I can fight! If it doesn't, I'll retreat!"

Pshh—As the potion was injected into his arm, Wang Tao felt his lower body suddenly fill with strength! His upper-body strength also rose slightly! A +30 even appeared over his Health Bar!

"This is... healing some of my lower-body injuries?"

Wang Tao was pleasantly surprised, but what delighted him even more was the Running Potion's effect. Beneath his Health Bar, it clearly showed that his running speed had increased by 50%! Without another word, Wang Tao raised the Strong Flashlight and charged at the Hammer Zombie.

The Hammer Zombie immediately covered its eyes on instinct, and Wang Tao seized the chance to strike it fiercely twice.

-31

-33

Before the Hammer Zombie could swing its hand, Wang Tao quickly retreated.

The zombie grabbed at empty air.

The plan... was feasible!