[Ding! Congratulations! You have received 4 attribute points!] [Ding! Congratulations! You have received 1 learning point!]
After reaching level two and receiving his new attribute points, Lin Dong did not rush to allocate them. Instead, he checked the carriage first.
The entirety of carriage 15 had been cleared.
He confirmed that no zombies remained alive.
Only then did Lin Dong give his orders. "Bai Ruoxue, search the carriage. Don't miss a single corner. See if there's anything unusual."
Bai Ruoxue nodded and immediately got to work.
Lin Dong then turned to Zhou Gong. "Dissect the zombies. See if there's anything unusual about their hearts."
"Why their hearts?" Zhou Gong asked curiously.
Rather than answer Zhou Gong, Lin Dong looked at the zombie on the floor, covered in white and red matter, and asked, "Is there any point checking its brain?"
"Hehe!"
Zhou Gong chuckled sheepishly.
Lin Dong said no more and quickly considered how to allocate his points.
Vitality could improve Lin Dong's immunity, life force, healing ability, and resistance to damage.
Strength, as the name suggested, could increase Lin Dong's physical strength.
Spirit could improve his mental resilience, strengthen his brain, and enhance his five senses and sixth sense.
Speed could improve Lin Dong's reflexes, coordination, and movement speed.
After a quick consideration, Lin Dong decided to divide his four attribute points evenly, adding two each to vitality and speed.
Lin Dong glanced at his updated attribute panel:
[Awakened: Lin Dong] [Level: 2 (0/20)] [Vitality: 15] [Spirit: 15] [Strength: 13] [Speed: 15] [Learning points: 1] [Skill: Breath Concealment Art] [Bound world: Battle Through the Heavens] [Items owned: Tiger Demon Strength Pill!]
"Phew!"
The moment Lin Dong added the two points to vitality, warmth surged through his body, rapidly replenishing the energy he had spent in the fight.
"Captain! Come take a look!"
At that same moment, Zhou Gong shouted.
Lin Dong immediately focused and hurried over to inspect it.
"Captain, look!"
Zhou Gong pointed at a mangled heart on the floor, his expression grave. "This thing is seriously creepy!"
Lin Dong looked closely. The heart on the floor was actually still beating!
It could keep beating outside the body?
And that was not even the strangest part!
More bizarre still, the heart was slowly moving!
Yes!
Like some crawling creature, it was actually moving, albeit very slowly!
"What the...!"
Lin Dong followed the direction in which the heart was crawling, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "It's trying to reach the front of the train?!"
The eerie, sinister sight made his scalp crawl!
Even Lin Dong felt a chill creep over him, making him stamp his feet involuntarily!
"Who knows where it's trying to go!"
Zhou Gong stomped on the crawling heart, bursting it beneath his foot. His voice was grave. "Captain, there's something seriously wrong with this thing!"
Lin Dong said nothing. Instead, he looked at Bai Ruoxue. "Did you find anything?"
Bai Ruoxue nodded and pulled Lin Dong over to the window beside a seat.
Lin Dong looked where Bai Ruoxue was pointing. The otherwise blank window was covered in bloodstains, and amid all that blood was a single word: "Kill"!
At first glance, the word looked perfectly ordinary.
But a second look sent a chill down his spine!
Lin Dong sensed an almost tangible resentment emanating from the word, so intense that it seemed ready to burst through the window!
"It looks like something really did happen on this train."
Someone fleeing for their life would never have time to write something like that.
Even if they had decided to give up, they should not have written "Kill."
Who was this "Kill" meant for?
The zombies?
Or someone else?
A sharp glint flickered in Lin Dong's eyes as he thought rapidly.
"Captain, what should we do?"
Zhou Gong's expression grew serious. Everything about this train felt eerie, leaving him no room for jokes.
Lin Dong thought for a moment. "Keep moving forward."
"Let's finish the Instance Mission first."
"If there's real danger, we'll be able to withdraw instead of getting erased by the instance."
Although Lin Dong and the others' main mission was to investigate why the Train to Busan train had mutated, they first had to complete the instance's own objective.
Otherwise, they would not even qualify to leave!
The instance would erase them on the spot!
Zhou Gong and Bai Ruoxue immediately supported Lin Dong's suggestion.
They had been thinking much the same thing.
If they could not even guarantee their escape, how could they relay any information to the outside?
The three of them formed a single-file formation again.
Carriage 14!
Thwack!
The Sleeve Arrow mercilessly pinned a zombie to its seat. It died instantly, without even struggling!
Lin Dong gained another experience point.
Roar! Roar! Roar!
The remaining zombies charged again, utterly fearless!
Unfazed, Lin Dong swiftly reloaded the Silent Sleeve Arrow!
Clang!
But just then!
Something unexpected happened!
When the Silent Sleeve Arrow struck one of the zombies, there was no familiar sound of flesh being pierced. Instead, a crisp metallic clang rang out!
Sparks flew!
Not only did the refined-steel bolt fail to pierce the zombie's skull, it was forcibly deflected, slamming into a nearby sheet-metal seat and bending out of shape!
"What?!"
Lin Dong's pupils abruptly contracted, alarm bells blaring in his mind.
That was definitely not the kind of defense an ordinary Train to Busan zombie should have!
Could it be a Flying Jiangshi?!
Lin Dong's mind raced, his expression icy. He knew that some jiangshi became impervious to blades, bullets, and all forms of magic after evolving into Flying Jiangshi.
But those were jiangshi unique to the Dragon Kingdom.
How could a zombie evolve into a Flying Jiangshi too?!
Lin Dong hastily looked closer. The zombie before him stood far straighter than the others. Its skin was a dull gray and looked rigid, as though covered in a fine layer of hard armor. Its entire body had a hard, cold quality.
A faint crimson glow flickered within its hollow eye sockets. It no longer looked mindless and vacant. Its head slowly turned, locking onto Lin Dong's position.
Roar!
A low, savage roar erupted. The Mutant Zombie drove forward with all four limbs, displaying explosive power far beyond that of an ordinary infected. It suddenly shot forward at twice their speed!
"Watch out!"
Lin Dong shouted a warning. His speed attribute came into full effect as he darted backward, narrowly avoiding the lethal pounce.
"Extremely high defense and a massive speed boost-is this the truth behind the instance's mutation?"
Lin Dong's expression turned exceedingly grave.
The Sleeve Arrow could instantly kill ordinary zombies, yet this Mutant Zombie could withstand hidden weapons head-on. The difference was night and day.
"I refuse to believe it!"
Lin Dong refused to believe that Third Brother's Silent Sleeve Arrow could not handle one measly zombie.
"Go!"
Lin Dong quickly reloaded, then fired a bolt purely by feel, without even looking!
Whoosh!
The sharp bolt flew straight at the Mutant Zombie, cutting through the air with a whistling wail!
At the same time, Lin Dong hurriedly loaded another bolt, preparing to fire two shots in quick succession!
But a moment later!
Lin Dong froze on the spot, his reloading motion coming to a complete halt.
As the bolt's tip closed in, the Mutant Zombie let out a piercing, almost bestial roar from its throat:
"Iron Block!"
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