The two entered an unlocked dormitory room, cleaned off the bloodstains, and eagerly prepared to divide the spoils.
There were twelve crystal cores in total, six for each person.
“How do I absorb these crystal cores?” An Qian asked, examining the cores.
“Why don’t you try dissolving them in water and drinking it?” Qin Shi Lei chuckled.
“Get lost!” An Qian glared, her almond-shaped eyes flashing. The thought of drinking something from a zombie’s head was revolting.
Qin Shi Lei held a crystal core, focusing on turning it into energy within his body. Miraculously, due to the game-like system, a surge of energy flowed from the core through his right hand into his body. After absorbing six cores, his experience bar, previously at zero, rose to six. This meant he was only four more cores away from leveling up.
“Shall we continue?”
“Let’s. But let me see your sword first.” Qin Shi Lei handed the sword over, casually explaining, “After the game-like system appeared, I gained a skill that can sharpen weapons with a certain probability.”
An Qian eyed him suspiciously, tested the sword, and then returned it. Qin Shi Lei quickly took back the Seven Star Sword, surprised by her good character. He mentally gave her a thumbs-up.
They continued searching the dormitories on the fifth floor. Qin Shi Lei knocked on the door of the room to his right.
“Who is it?” a female voice responded.
“It’s nothing, just hide well,” An Qian replied.
The next room.
“Roar.” Zombie roars echoed from within, followed by heavy thuds. The girl inside had already turned into a zombie.
“One… two… three.” Qin Shi Lei counted softly, then twisted the doorknob and shoulder-charged the door, knocking the zombie away. An Qian darted in, thrusting her sword at the zombie’s face. The zombie ducked, evaded the blade, and lunged, its claws reaching for An Qian’s abdomen.
Damn! This zombie was no ordinary one. Qin Shi Lei stepped forward, slashing at the zombie’s claws. The zombie kicked off the ground, leaping onto the bed to its right. An Qian spun, thrusting her sword again. This time, the sword moved faster and more ferociously, like a crossbow bolt from a string, aimed at the zombie’s right leg. However, the zombie, as agile as a monkey, pushed off the wall and jumped onto the bed on the left.
“Roar!” The zombie crouched, snarling at An Qian and Qin Shi Lei. The dormitory had four beds, with desks and wardrobes below them. The zombie’s position on the bed made it difficult for them to attack. Qin Shi Lei raised the Seven Star Sword, sweeping towards the zombie’s legs. The zombie jumped up, evading the blade. It then pushed off the ceiling with its feet, charging rapidly towards Qin Shi Lei, who had sidestepped. At this speed, before Qin Shi Lei could react, the zombie’s claws would have torn into his side.
Fortunately, An Qian’s sword arrived. Another direct thrust, aimed at the zombie, lunged towards its chest. The zombie calmly slapped the bed, instantly changing direction and charging towards An Qian. An Qian dodged, retracted her sword, and then swept it to the right, attempting to push the zombie away.
“Roar!” The zombie actually swatted at the sword with its bare palm. It used the ground to spring, spinning and kicking An Qian in the stomach. Before Qin Shi Lei could intervene, it leaped again, landing on the furthest bed to the right.
“Are you okay?” Qin Shi Lei asked, keeping an eye on the zombie while concerned.
“Cough, cough!” An Qian coughed a few times before stubbornly replying, “I’m fine.” She noticed that the sword strike had only left a deep gash on the zombie’s forearm, not severed its right hand. For a zombie with no pain, this was a minor injury, causing little loss of strength.
“This place is too cramped to deal with such an agile zombie,” An Qian said, frowning with worry. “You step back, let me handle it alone.” Her stomach still ached intermittently, weakening her by a third. One wrong move and she could lose her life here.
Qin Shi Lei retreated to the doorway, creating space for An Qian to maneuver. Perhaps the injury had ignited the zombie’s ferocity, as its subsequent attacks seemed even faster. An Qian swung her sword like a rain curtain, defending adequately but unable to inflict any further damage. As the zombie leaped back onto the rear bed on the right, An Qian swayed, nearly falling backward. Qin Shi Lei took two steps forward and caught her.
“Huff, huff.” An Qian panted heavily, as if she had just run three kilometers. Qin Shi Lei pulled her behind him and said confidently, “Rest well, I’ll handle the rest.”
Caught off guard, An Qian stumbled, nearly losing her balance. This was bad! If the zombie attacked now, how could she defend herself? As expected, the zombie sprang forward.
“Good!” Qin Shi Lei showed no fear. *One Punch Man.* With a thought, an inexplicable power surged through him, making him feel capable of destroying anything. The zombie’s lightning-fast movement seemed as slow as a snail in his eyes. He raised his sword and brought it down. The zombie was instantly split in two, crashing into the beds on either side.
“Uh!” An Qian, standing behind him, parted her lips, her eyes filled with surprise and confusion.
“It dropped a treasure chest.” Qin Shi Lei’s eyes lit up as he looked at the bronze treasure chest before him.
“Are you unlucky or lucky?” Qin Shi Lei turned to An Qian.
“Ah.” An Qian blinked, then replied, “My luck in games has always been quite good.”
“Then you open it.” Qin Shi Lei moved to the other side, letting her open the chest. Although he had a system after transmigrating, and his luck seemed decent, he still remembered his past experiences of getting meager rewards and decided to let her have the fun of opening the treasure chest. An Qian lightly touched the bronze treasure chest, and it sprang open. Two green items appeared. Without any prior experience, it was hard to tell if this was good or bad luck.
Silk Armor (Green): Legend has it, woven from thousand-year-old silkworm silk, offering excellent protection against weapons and some resistance to energy attacks.
Mastery of Swordsmanship (Green): Seals the experience of a master swordsman, allowing you to quickly grasp the techniques of sword weapons.
An Qian’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the Silk Armor. Her swordsmanship was already good, so Mastery of Swordsmanship might not significantly improve her. However, the Silk Armor would provide better safety, allowing her to see her mother again.
“I want the armor. Mastery of Swordsmanship is likely something you need, and I’ll give you this zombie’s crystal core as compensation,” An Qian offered proactively. Qin Shi Lei nodded in agreement. He dug out a white crystal core from the zombie’s right side of its head.
“Let’s switch rooms and put on the armor,” An Qian said, still unaccustomed to the smell of blood in the room. The room contained not only the zombie’s dismembered body but also three bloody, mangled female corpses. It was likely the zombie had eaten its three roommates before evolving and becoming so powerful.