allendalepharm Chapter 49 Retrospective
Chapter 49 Retrospective
Recalling the moment when he was ambushed from behind by that agile zombie, Xu Mo still felt his heart race slightly, even though the battle was over.
His lightning-fast reaction was less a product of careful consideration and more a burst of combat instinct and the superhuman perception of his Bullhide Realm. Had he not noticed the chilling gaze in time, and had he not decisively parried with his AK-47, those sharp bone claws would likely have torn his nape apart, and he would now be food for that agile zombie, lying on this cold snowfield.
"That was too close..." Xu Mo muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping over the two mutated corpses on the snow before finally settling on the small, headless corpse.
"I just didn't expect that the agile type would actually be paired with the strength type and even become symbiotic?" This discovery made Xu Mo frown.
If the mutated zombies don't fight individually, but rather possess some kind of primitive, complementary cooperative relationship, their threat level will increase exponentially. Strength-based zombies will engage in frontal assaults, drawing fire, while agile zombies will stealthily assassinate, delivering a fatal blow. This combination would be a nightmare for any survivor.
I was lucky today; I managed to take care of the most conspicuous strength-type mutated zombie remotely first. If I had been attacked by both of them at close range, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Xu Mo's gaze fell again, landing on the AK-47 assault rifle broken in two. The jagged metal breaks reflected a dim light against the snow, and a hint of regret flashed in Xu Mo's eyes.
This gun was the first real automatic rifle he had ever acquired. He brought it from the "gun room" of that model collector, and it accompanied him through the initial awkward stage of mastering firearms, witnessing his progress from shooting bullets randomly to hitting exactly where he pointed.
Countless afternoons on the rooftop platform were accompanied by its spitting fire and steady recoil, keeping Xu Mo company during his solitary and focused training. For Xu Mo, this gun was more than just a weapon; it was a silent companion, recording his journey of growing stronger step by step in this apocalyptic world.
Today, at the last moment, it even used its own body to block that fatal blow and save its own life. Now, the AK47 is completely destroyed and turned into a pile of scrap metal, which makes Xu Mo feel a complex mix of emotions, including gratitude and a faint sense of loss like losing an old friend.
"Thanks, buddy," Xu Mo said softly.
After shaking off the thick, dark red bloodstains from his machete, Xu Mo strode over to the massive corpse of the powerful zombie.
Even without its head, the Power Zombie's towering body still exudes a suffocating sense of oppression. Standing over two meters tall, its bulging muscles resemble granite blocks, and its bluish-gray skin appears even more deathly still against the snow. An ordinary person facing such a monster would likely lack the courage to even fight.
If he were still an ordinary person, Xu Mo estimated that the first thing he would do upon seeing it would be to run away as fast as he could.
Xu Mo wanted to experience firsthand just how tough this thing's body really was.
Taking a deep breath and circulating his qi and blood again, Xu Mo's dark yellow skin instantly returned to normal, and he felt his entire body brimming with power. He gripped the machete tightly with both hands, raised it high above his head, and then slashed down with all his might at the base of the zombie's thick, pillar-like right arm.
"Pfft—!"
The resistance encountered when the blade cut in was significantly greater than when slashing at agile zombies! It didn't feel like cutting meat; it felt more like using a dull knife to slice through extremely thick, water-soaked cowhide or a tough rubber tire. A distinct sense of stiffness traveled from the blade to my arm, hindering the blade's descent.
However, Xu Mo's strength was ultimately superior. With a low shout, he exerted force in his arm muscles once again, and the blade forcefully broke through the powerful resistance.
"Crack!" A soft sound, like chopping hardwood, rang out.
Xu Mo severed the zombie's thick, intact arm cleanly. Dark red blood, like viscous oil, slowly oozed from the cut and then froze into a hard lump.
Xu Mo slowly sheathed his sword, looking at the cut made by the machete on the zombie, still feeling lingering fear at the resistance he had just felt.
"As expected, its defense is astonishing. If I hadn't circulated my qi and blood to the fullest extent, and if this machete hadn't been sharp enough, I probably wouldn't have been able to cut it in one strike." Xu Mo had a clearer understanding of his close combat abilities against this type of strength-based zombie. He could fight it, but he had to go all out and not hold back in the slightest, otherwise he might be countered by its terrifying defense and strength.
After doing all that, Xu Mo's gaze turned to the head of the bald, agile zombie that had rolled to the side. A scene common in many post-apocalyptic novels and films came to mind—the crystal core.
In those post-apocalyptic novels, powerful mutated zombies often have energy-containing crystals condensed in their brains, which are important resources for the protagonist to improve their strength.
"Could there be one too?" With a hint of curiosity and perhaps a small expectation that he himself was unaware of, Xu Mo carefully poked at the bald head with the tip of his machete, then found the right spot and pried open the skull with a forceful slash.
Apart from some congealed, grayish-white brain tissue streaked with dark red blood vessels, it was completely empty. There were no glowing pebbles, no energy fluctuations, nothing at all. Just a pile of lifeless, nauseating organic matter.
"..."
Xu Mo paused for a moment, then pursed his lips and muttered self-deprecatingly, "Novels are all lies, after all."
It seems the mutated zombies of this world didn't leave Xu Mo any "upgrade package." To improve, he still needs to rely on his own daily hard work and that magical "door."
Dragging the two corpses that had already been "explored" aside, Xu Mo hastily covered them with snow to at least prevent them from being exposed and attracting other unnecessary trouble or allowing later generations to discover traces of the battle.
After doing all this, Xu Mo walked towards the patch of crimson blood he had seen through the binoculars earlier. He wanted to confirm what it was.
As he approached, the stench of blood grew stronger. The snow-covered ground was a scene of utter devastation, littered with torn fur, broken bones, and fragments of internal organs. Judging from the remaining head and body shape, it was likely a wolf, or perhaps a large wild dog. Xu Mo's knowledge in this area was limited, and he couldn't distinguish precisely, but it had clearly met an extremely tragic end.
Judging from the traces at the scene, this unfortunate animal likely had the extremely bad luck to run into the two moving mutated zombies. Perhaps zombies have a special sensitivity to living beings, and they didn't hesitate to treat it as prey, staging a bloody cannibalism. This also explains why the strength-type zombie was stained with fresh, crimson blood, different from its own black blood.
Having figured out what had happened, Xu Mo didn't linger. He took one last look at the buried snowdrift, then, holding the broken AK-47, turned and walked towards the shelter.
Today, he encountered two mutated zombies that approached the town, which served as a wake-up call for him.
"Are they instinctively seeking shelter because of the extreme cold? Or are they attracted by the presence of 'living people' in the town?" Xu Mo couldn't be sure. But one thing was certain: the town in winter was not an absolute safe zone. If two came today, more might come tomorrow, or even other more troublesome types.
"From now on, I must be more careful when I go out to scavenge for supplies, and I need to be on high alert," Xu Mo told himself. The outside world is full of dangers, which may be lurking around the next street corner or behind some dilapidated door.
Finally, Xu Mo looked at the two broken guns in the corner, and thinking about today's battle, which could be described as "high-starting point," he couldn't help but show a helpless bitter smile.
"Everyone else's post-apocalyptic adventures start with killing regular zombies and leveling up by fighting monsters. How come I'm facing mutated elite monsters right away, and they're even coming in groups..."