2: Chapter 2, First Punch: A Critical Hit

The electronic sound in the rain curtain pierced his eardrums like fine needles.

"New mission released — — [Kill 5 Construction Site Wandering Zombies, Time Limit: 20 Minutes].

Reward: 150 Experience + Random Basic Equipment.

Mission Failure: Deduct 50% of current Gold Coins. Three failures result in obliteration."

Chen Fan's nape instantly tensed.

He watched the grayish-green shadows sway and approach. Raindrops streamed down his eyelashes, blurring his vision.

A cry of alarm came from the left. Several New Players had fallen into the muddy water, their trouser cuffs smeared with sludge. A kid with dyed yellow hair was shaking like a sieve: "Wandering Zombies? Isn't this the kind of zombie from the movies?"

"Run my foot!" Zhao Iron Pillar's Broken Gong voice boomed.

Chen Fan turned his head and saw the man kick away a shivering, skinny guy at his feet. The iron rod at his waist gleamed coldly in the rain—it had just been a regular iron rod, but now the handle was wrapped with dark green runes. "Mine is a Green Grade weapon. Cutting these things is like slicing tofu!" He patted his chest, his coarse features twisting into a sneer. "Those who want to live, team up with me! Kill five, and we'll share the gear!"

The crowd instantly erupted.

Three youths with multi-colored hair squeezed next to Zhao Iron Pillar. One, with red hair, obsequiously offered a cigarette: "Brother Tie, I've played survival games before; I can tank damage!" The rest of the people covered their heads and ran toward a corner of the construction site, knocking over a mountain of cement bags. The dust they kicked up mixed with the drizzle, resembling a murky cloud.

Chen Fan clenched the medicine pouch in his pocket.

Old Horse Head's body temperature was long gone. The plastic bag was soggy from the rain, yet it dug painfully into his palm.

He lowered his gaze to his feet—the spot where he had been squatting still held a puddle, reflecting his pale face.

There was a hole torn in the shoulder of his work uniform, revealing an injury scabbed over with dried blood. The rainwater seeped in, making him flinch with pain.

"Hey!" Zhao Iron Pillar's iron rod suddenly poked near his feet, splashing mud onto his pant leg. "You stinking brick hauler think you can snag a mission too?"

Red Hair followed with a snort: "Brother Tie, he doesn't even have a weapon, does he? Is he going to scratch them with his bare hands?"

Chen Fan remained silent.

He stared at the pile of scrap metal not far away—a rusty, battered shovel lay there. The wooden handle had a crack, and the blade was curled up like a dog had chewed it.

The rain hitting the shovel made a faint 'ding ding' sound, like a hammer tapping his nerves.

"Tch." Zhao Iron Pillar spat out the cigarette butt. As he turned, rainwater streamed down his leather jacket. "Too lazy to bother with you. Serves you right if you die." He led the three men toward the Wandering Zombies. The Green Grade iron rod whistled as he swung it; the first Wandering Zombie's head snapped back. Its grayish-green skin split open, and black blood spurted out with a 'sizzle'.

Chen Fan bent down and picked up the shovel.

The crack in the wooden handle made his hand numb, and the rust residue rubbed against his palm, making him wrinkle his brow from the itchiness.

He hid behind a concrete pipe, observing the movements of the Wandering Zombies—their knees didn't bend when they walked; their arms stretched forward as they probed. Every three steps, they would pause for half a second, exposing the festering wound on their lower back.

That strike from Zhao Iron Pillar earlier had hit the Wandering Zombie right on its temple.

"Stun window..." Chen Fan's throat tightened.

He counted the zombies' steps. When the third Wandering Zombie was only five meters away, he suddenly grabbed the shovel and charged out.

The zombie's murky eyeballs turned toward him, its rotten claws stirring up a foul wind. He sidestepped, and the edge of the shovel fiercely struck the zombie's knee.

"Basic Damage 12!"

The system prompt had just sounded when Chen Fan saw a bloody gash split open near the zombie's bent leg.

He didn't stop. He used the backhand grip to yank the zombie's arm sideways—a rusted steel rebar stood nearby, its tip sharp like a blade.

The zombie stumbled as Chen Fan pulled it, its forehead slamming heavily onto the rebar with a 'crack.' Half of its skull caved in.

"Experience +3!"

The wrist screen on Chen Fan's arm suddenly flashed red.

His pupils contracted sharply as he watched the numbers jump wildly: "Critical Hit Judgement Triggered! Experience x 3 Multiplier!"

Three became nine, nine became seventeen—no, it jumped straight to nine!

His temple throbbed. A pale gold level-up prompt popped up on the screen: "Player Chen Fan, Level Increased to Bronze Tier 1!"

"What the hell?"

A cry of surprise came from behind him.

Chen Fan turned his head and saw Zhao Iron Pillar staring at his screen, the smile frozen on his face.

Red Hair leaned over and mumbled, "Brother Tie, this kid has no gear, how is he leveling up faster than us?"

Zhao Iron Pillar's Green Grade iron rod slammed heavily onto the ground, splashing mud that smeared Chen Fan's shoes: "You trash collector think you deserve to level up? Hand over your equipment!"

Chen Fan licked his dry, bitter lips.

He could hear his heart pounding like a war drum. That critical hit earlier felt like a ball of fire burning in his veins.

The system hadn't said the critical hit could only trigger once—if he fought more monsters, could he trigger it more times?

He stared at the group of Wandering Zombies behind Zhao Iron Pillar, deliberately slamming his shovel onto the ground: "So what if you have Green Grade gear? I'm faster than you even with a broken shovel."

"You're asking to die!" Zhao Iron Pillar charged over, swinging the iron rod.

Chen Fan turned and ran, stepping onto the waterlogged concrete pipes to drill deeper into the construction site.

This was the pipe area, where half-meter diameter concrete pipes were stacked haphazardly, leaving only narrow gaps.

He crouched and squeezed inside, hearing Zhao Iron Pillar's curses getting closer: "I'll break your legs!"

Chen Fan pressed himself against the pipe wall and squatted down.

The groans of the Wandering Zombies came from the left. He counted the footsteps—three, two, one!

Just as the zombie's grayish-green palm reached inside, his shovel chopped down on its elbow joint. "Basic Damage 10!" The system prompt had barely landed when the red light flashed again: "Critical Hit Judgement Triggered! Damage x 2.5 Multiplier!"

The shovel sliced in as if cutting rotten wood.

The zombie's entire arm was severed and flew off, black blood splashing onto Chen Fan's face.

He wiped his face and saw the zombie's head was still twitching, so he followed up with another chop—this time directly splitting its skull. With a 'poof,' grayish-white brain matter mixed with rainwater flowed out, dripping into the puddle by his feet and creating murky ripples.

"Ding! Wandering Zombie Killed x 1. Current Progress: 3/5."

The system prompt was exceptionally clear in the silence.

Chen Fan heard the movement outside the pipe suddenly cease.

He poked his head out and saw Zhao Iron Pillar and the other two standing in the rain, their faces paler than the Wandering Zombies.

Red Hair's Green Grade dagger had fallen to the ground, the mud splashing onto the blade obscuring the runes.

"You..." Zhao Iron Pillar's Adam's apple bobbed. "What equipment are you using?"

Chen Fan didn't answer.

He stared at the white light floating up from the Wandering Zombie's corpse—[Coarse Cloth Bracer (White Grade): Defense +2, Agility +1].

He rushed over, picked up the bracer, and slipped it onto his hand. The cloth carried the zombie's stench, yet it sent a wave of warmth through him.

The more he fought, the more critical hits he got—this was snowballing, damn it!

"System Announcement!"

The electronic voice suddenly blared, making Chen Fan's ears ache.

He looked up and saw blood-red subtitles floating in mid-air: "Hidden Mission Unlocked — — [First Kill Challenge: Construction Site Zombie King] will spawn in the Main Building Basement in 1 hour. All New Players may participate.

First Kill Reward: Gold Grade Equipment x 1 + 1000 Experience + King of Novices Title."

"King of Novices?" Red Hair's eyes instantly lit up. "Brother Tie, that title can be exchanged for a lot of resources, right?"

Zhao Iron Pillar wiped the rain from his face, a sneer twisting his lips: "I've killed more monsters than he's eaten meals. This King..." He glanced at Chen Fan. "It's not for some trash collector."

Chen Fan gripped the shovel tightly.

The coarse cloth of the bracer made his wrist itch, but it only made his grip firmer.

A dull thud came from the direction of the Main Building Basement, like something was battering the door.

The rain was still falling, but he suddenly felt a chill creep up from the soles of his feet—that sound was too similar to the roar when Old Horse Head was erased by the system before he vanished.

"King?" He wiped the mud from his face. The shovel's edge gleamed coldly in the rain. "I'll try to claim this spot first."

The iron door to the Main Building Basement suddenly creaked open with a 'zhi ya' sound.

Chen Fan's pupils shrank to pinpricks—the sound of steel scraping against metal came from behind the door, mixed with a rotten stench, as if some colossal creature was awakening.