NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 6: Killing the Licker
Boom!
Lin An pushed himself to the limit, running at full speed, desperately dodging the cars the Licker was throwing at him from the distance.
He tried to take a detour, but it only pushed him back onto the same path.
The closest direct road was blocked by the Licker—there was no way to go around it!
Cars were flying through the air like missiles, hurled by the Licker's massive hands.
He needed to find a way to lead it into a narrow space and take it down!
Lin An quickly racked his brain, turning around and heading toward a neighborhood with fewer vehicles.
On the Sixth Floor of the Villa.
The chubby businessman, who had been barely hanging on beneath the anti-theft window, heard a series of booming sounds.
He hadn't yet seen what caused the noise but noticed Lin An turning back.
It was the same man who had left earlier!
His face lit up with excitement.
No one could resist the temptation of such a huge sum of money!
The businessman, filled with renewed strength, screamed with all his might.
"I'm still here!"
"Please save me!"
"Ten million! I'll give you anything you want—cars, women, whatever!"
Lin An ignored him, swinging his axe and smashing through the zombies in his path.
"I'll give you a million!"
The businessman's face turned pale, his strength rapidly draining.
The stench of decay emanating from the woman's mouth made him dizzy.
The woman's face, once delicate and small, was now contorted and stretched into a long, grotesque shape.
Only a fist's distance remained between them.
"One hundred million! I'll give you one hundred million! Please, come save me!"
The businessman was now sobbing uncontrollably.
As the zombie woman struggled frantically, half of her body was already pressing against him.
Her decayed, slick skin felt like a nightmare to him.
By the Security Booth.
Lin An, holding the axe in one hand, took a quick swig of a stimulant from his space ring.
Crash!
The test tube shattered on the ground.
Ding!
Strength +1, Constitution +1, Agility +1
Ding!
Burst Power increased by 50%, Endurance and Resistance increased by 30%, Attack Speed increased by 20%.
The effect was immediate.
Lin An's heart raced as the molecules in the stimulant broke through his blood-brain barrier.
His muscles tightened, and the axe in his hand felt lighter by two pounds.
No wonder this stimulant was so coveted in his past life.
As one of the few non-apocalyptic items that could enhance attributes, it was invaluable.
In his past life, Lin An had used a few vials of this to keep his family alive, saving them from certain death during the early days of the apocalypse.
With this boost in power, Lin An felt a rush of energy.
At the Neighborhood Entrance.
The cars parked haphazardly suddenly flew into the air, revealing the massive form of the Licker.
It had appeared!
The businessman, who had been shouting and cursing, fell silent all of a sudden, as though something had choked him.
Now was the time!
Without hesitation, Lin An took a deep breath, bending his legs, the ground cracking beneath him.
He remained perfectly still, then launched himself into the air with a jump, his body soaring four or five meters high.
The axe blade was bathed in a bloody glow under the setting sun.
Burst Power Activated!
The ability from his awakening talent kicked in.
Strength +2, Agility +2, Constitution +2, Willpower +2!
A faint golden glow enveloped Lin An's body, and his strength, previously at 12 points, surged to 14.
The explosive power coursing through him felt like dynamite.
"Die!"
With all his might, Lin An swung the axe down toward the Licker's head.
The sharp axe blade cleaved through its flesh, exploding outward. A chunk of meat the size of a person was sliced off, exposing dark purple muscle tissue beneath.
The Licker roared in pain, its massive body swaying to one side, and its exposed skull was partially severed.
The force from Lin An's attack, backed by his overwhelming strength, nearly killed the Licker in one blow.
But...
The Licker wasn't dead.
Its massive claws slammed down, crushing a nearby car with ease.
Lin An didn't waste time. He quickly flipped away from the Licker's enraged swipe and repositioned himself.
He began to move swiftly around the Licker's body, looking for another opportunity.
The Licker, a nightmare for many safe zones, had been extensively studied by survivors.
After countless painful losses, they discovered that while the Licker was fast, its turning ability was sluggish.
Its huge claws gave it incredible destructive power, but they also hindered its agility when changing direction.
Lin An, aware of this weakness, swiftly circled behind the Licker, staying out of its line of sight.
The businessman, still hanging by the window, was in shock, unable to tear his eyes away from the fight.
The monstrous Licker, just its appearance, was enough to make even the strongest-willed person lose their sanity.
The Licker was now furious, its claws slashing wildly through the air.
Metal car bodies were torn apart as if they were made of paper.
It was terrifying.
But more shocking to the businessman was how Lin An could hold his ground against such a creature.
The once ordinary man, in the businessman's eyes, was now on par with a monster.
Could a human really possess such power?
Boom!
Boom!
Cars were thrown like missiles, colliding with everything in sight.
Lin An nimbly dodged the vehicles hurled at him by the Licker and quickly adjusted his position.
The Licker had been attacking for over a minute.
The already limited cars in the neighborhood had all been turned into projectiles.
With Lin An's agility, at a staggering 14 points, the Licker's attacks were futile.
Its increased fury only made it more reckless.
Roar!
The Licker leaned down, its skull partially shattered.
With each strike, its exposed brain tissue was vulnerable.
Now!
Lin An took a deep breath and pushed his body to the limit, dodging the Licker's furious assault.
Burst Power!
His power surged again, muscles exploding with force like an explosive charge.
He pivoted and brought his axe down in a devastating strike.
With all his strength, he leaped onto the Licker's massive body, using his waist muscles to propel himself higher.
The axe, now moving with the full power of his body, smashed into the Licker's skull, driving in deep.
The axe handle shattered, and the power from the strike tore through the skull like a blender mixing eggs.
Ding!
Killed a Level 1 Mutant Zombie: Licker
Gained 1 Energy
Gained: Armor Crafting Material: Muscle Tissue*1 (White)
Muscle Tissue: Tough mutated muscle, can be used to craft white armor with +1 Agility attribute.
Evaluation: Muscle from the lower leg, suitable for crafting footwear.
Gained: Weapon Crafting Material: Licker Spine*1 (White)
Licker Spine: Harder than alloy, suitable for weapon crafting, with +1 Sharpness and +1 Strength attributes.
Evaluation: Useful for crafting weapons, can also be used as is.
With a final crash, the Licker's massive body collapsed to the ground.
A white light shot out from the corpse and flew into Lin An's body.
Ding!
Energy detected, experience panel unlocked.
Current Awakened Level: Level 0 (1/2)
Current Player Level: Level 0 (1/2)
Next Level Requirements: 1 Kill
Lin An, panting and slightly hunched over, confirmed the Licker was dead.
Killing the Licker had been a struggle.
In the Apocalypse Game, only kills of mutant zombies or beasts granted experience.
Regular zombies yielded no experience, no matter how many were killed.
Thus, whether a player or awakened, the only way to level up was by hunting mutated creatures.
But mutated zombies were strong and not something a Level 0 awakened one could easily fight.
In Lin An's past life, many awakened ones never made it past Level 0.
Without his preparation, the special potion, and his powerful awakening talent, fighting such a monster would have been suicide.
He had no time to rest.
Before leaving, Lin An glanced back at the fallen businessman.
Blood pooled beneath him, though it was unclear whether he had been eaten by the female zombie or let go himself.
The female zombie's skull was mangled, but her mouth continued to open and close mechanically.
Lin An didn't care to investigate further.
Confirming the area was clear of survivors, Lin An extended his hand.
The massive Licker's corpse was instantly absorbed into his space ring.
As a mutated zombie, the Licker's body was a treasure.
Not only were there useful materials for crafting, but the body could also be processed into equipment that rivaled bulletproof vests.
But there was no time now—he would have to deal with it later.
Heyuan Community, Inside a Residential Building.
A young girl huddled in a corner, hugging her knees, her face streaked with tears.
"Brother... Lin An will be here soon."
An Xia clenched her phone tightly, speaking hesitantly to the young man bound to a chair.
The last message from Lin An was still on her phone.
Roar!
The man tied to the chair growled lowly, struggling against the restraints.
The chains rattled loudly, shaking the chair violently.
"Brother... I'm so scared."
An Xia looked down, unable to bear seeing An Jingtian's face, now a grotesque, blood-soaked skull.
After their parents' death, her only remaining support had turned into this creature, and there was nothing she could do.
She trembled with despair, like a helpless little animal.
The clock on the wall ticked softly.
She kept glancing nervously at the locked door, her eyes filled with silent prayers.
But outside, there was only the sound of zombies clawing at the door.
The footsteps she had been waiting for never came.
"Brother, please hold on."
"Lin An will have a way to save you."
An Jingtian's bloodshot eyes showed a flicker of sanity.
"Lin... An!"
The glimmer of sanity quickly vanished.
His voice was raspy, but it was still recognizable.
An Xia's eyes widened in surprise, looking at him.
It was the first time since the apocalypse that An Jingtian had spoken clearly.
Bang! Bang!
The zombies outside had smelled their kind and began pounding against the door.
The iron door shook violently, starting to deform.
They were responding.
An Jingtian, now fully losing his mind, struggled once more.
The chains rattled, and his wrists, bound by the iron cuffs, revealed the pale, white bones.
The handcuffs were beginning to loosen.