Killing Monsters for Loot

Killing Monsters for Loot

"Huff—"

Wang Tao looked at the zombie lying on the ground, still twitching slightly, its head blossomed open like a chrysanthemum.

He let out a long breath.

He called that move Jumping Slash. As a stunt double, it was no surprise that he could pull it off. But this was his first time using it in actual combat, and he had not been sure he could win.

Now, though, the results looked pretty good. After all, zombies did not dodge.

Thanks to the height advantage of jumping down from above, he had covered a full five meters. Using the force of his momentum, the Kitchen Knife—which normally could not pierce a zombie's skull—had plunged through its forehead and killed it instantly.

But the instant kill had not come without a price. Wang Tao looked helplessly at the Kitchen Knife, now curled and warped beyond recognition.

Ordinary Kitchen Knives really were no good! "Hm?"

Wang Tao, who was getting up from the zombie, narrowed his eyes.

A bloodstained, translucent package had appeared in front of the zombie. At a thought, it instantly entered his body.

Obtained: Purified Water (Small) ×1

What was this? Wang Tao noticed a backpack icon beneath his Health Bar.

The backpack was completely empty except for a white plastic square container marked with "5L."

Purified Water (Small): 5L, drinkable

Zombies could drop loot?

Wang Tao felt that he could take out the container of water with a thought. But this was not the time to study it. He quickly searched the zombie and found a set of keys, an electronic wristband, a pack of cigarettes, and a wallet.

He had originally wanted to pull off the zombie's belt too, but there was a knife-cut crack in it. After thinking it over, he gave up. He was not that desperate for a belt.

After putting away the spoils, Wang Tao went to check the elevator. It was broken, and he had no idea whether there were zombies inside.

Bang! After returning to his room, Wang Tao finally felt lingering fear only after closing the door and leaning against it. During the fight, adrenaline had been pumping through him so wildly that he had had no time for any other thoughts.

Now that he recalled the zombie whose head he had smashed open, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

After taking a moment to calm down, Wang Tao gulped down a large mouthful of water and stripped off all his clothes. He was drenched in sweat, so he decided to take a shower first.

Only after finishing his shower did Wang Tao have time to study the "backpack" beneath his Health Bar. But before looking at it, he froze.

"Huh? When did my Health Bar increase?"

Wang Tao was delighted to discover that his Health Bar, which had previously read "100/100," had become "110/110"! He had gained 10 HP!

Had he gotten it from killing the zombie? He had not noticed at the time.

"I'll have to pay attention next time. If killing zombies can really increase my maximum HP..." A brilliant smile appeared on Wang Tao's face.

He looked again at the backpack icon beneath his Health Bar. It was like the system inventory found in many games. But only Purified Water (Small) could be placed inside and taken out whenever he wanted. Other items could not be stored there.

"Probably only things dropped by zombies can go into the backpack..."

Wang Tao was thrilled. This backpack was basically a Storage Space!

Moreover, he could vaguely sense that time was frozen inside his backpack. In other words, anything stored inside would never spoil! Although there were certain limits on what could be stored, Wang Tao was more than satisfied. He would definitely have to fight zombies again in the future, so he would not have to worry about running out of things to store! As for the Purified Water (Small) dropped by the zombie, it was a five-liter square plastic container. Wang Tao tasted the water inside, and it really was purified water.

Although it felt rather strange for one zombie to drop an entire five-liter container of water, that was not the important part. The important part was that killing zombies could make loot drop! Like his ability to see zombie Health Bars, this was also an overpowered ability in a way!

Other people might not benefit from killing zombies, but he definitely would—he could get loot, and there was a high chance he could increase his maximum HP as well.

It might even improve his physical condition—Wang Tao was not too sure about that. It might have just been an illusion caused by excessive adrenaline, but after killing that zombie, he felt like he had become a little stronger... He would find out after killing a few more zombies for testing.

As long as he worked hard, he would definitely gain something!

"So this is the apocalypse? Why do I suddenly kind of like it?"

After a brief moment of smugness, Wang Tao did not become overconfident. Zombies really were powerful. One careless mistake, and he could easily get himself killed.

Of course, he had basically figured out a zombie's strength already. As long as he protected himself well and did not let a zombie grab him, with his physical condition, he could completely withstand one zombie's attacks.

And if he handled things properly, he could even kill a zombie in one blow.

However, weapons were crucial if he wanted an instant kill. His Kitchen Knife had been ruined after one use. He needed to find a weapon that would last longer.

From his actual battle with the zombie, Wang Tao had reached several conclusions—when dealing with zombies, sharpness was not actually the most important quality in a weapon. The most important thing was durability!

For example, when he used Jumping Slash, even the not-so-sharp Kitchen Knife had still pierced the zombie's skull.

"It would be great if I could get something like a Fire Axe or a crowbar..."

Unfortunately, there was nothing like that here.

No rush. He could take it slowly.

After eating a little and resting for a while, Wang Tao put on his homemade equipment again and tied another identical Kitchen Knife to a rolling pin.

He had five of those knives in total. He had bought them cheaply during a sale. Based on what had happened earlier, he could use Jumping Slash at least four more times.

Fully armed, Wang Tao opened the door again.

There had only been one zombie in the hallway. Now that it had been dealt with, he definitely needed to go out and take a look. In particular, he wanted to check upstairs. Before turning, that zombie had been a neighbor from above, and there might be supplies in his home.

Wang Tao first went downstairs quietly. The doors on these floors were all shut, and he had no idea whether there was anyone inside.

The building entrance on the first floor was locked. He had guessed as much before, but had not dared to be completely certain. Now that he had seen it for himself, he felt more at ease.

Wang Tao came to the sixth floor. The door to Room 602 was open.

After carefully entering Room 602, Wang Tao first did a rough inspection with his weapon in hand. Only after confirming there were no zombies inside did he close the door to Room 602.

There were no zombies in the hallway anymore, but it was still better to be safe. Once the door was closed, he could loot the place without worry.

Today was not only his first time killing a zombie, but also his first time rummaging through someone else's home without a shred of restraint. Thinking about it gave him a strangely taboo thrill.

The things in Room 602 were not in disarray, and there were no signs of any struggle. That neighbor must have turned suddenly. At least he had probably not suffered much.

"There's a big bag of rice, probably seven or eight pounds. Nice, nice!"

"There are still plenty of vegetables and meat in the refrigerator. Great!"

"Instant noodles, pickles, snacks, cigarettes, alcohol... I'm taking it all!"

"Hm? This is... a Walkie-talkie?"