Was Fu Xuefeng scared? Of course, he was obviously scared.
However, he fought against the panic and forcibly suppressed his instincts to retreat. His whole body, every cell seemed to be begging him not to do so and to step back where he knew he would be protected.
Fu Xuefeng could feel the stares of the other survivors prickling his back; pity, mockery, disdain, wonder, disbelief, surprise, and many other looks with different meanings. However, he endured.
The reason he endured all this? In reality, it was a very simple reason and for many, it might not be anything special... The only thing he wanted was to be able to raise his head at least once in his life.
Since he was young, due to his weak constitution and as a consequence of his below-average appearance, he was always ridiculed in different ways. Fu Xuefen, who came from a hard-working family, also wanted his parents to be proud of him.
Now that the world had changed, he longed to be able to change his life and, if they were still alive, to be able to give his parents a source of security on which they could rely in times of need. Now that a powerful person like Bai Zemin had stretched out a helping hand to him, Fu Xuefeng was willing to do anything to hold on to it.
As the zombie slowly approached, Fu Xuefeng could feel his legs trembling. Still, he too advanced slowly and began to circle around the zombie, studying the creature's movements carefully.
Due to Bai Zemin's actions, the whole group had no choice but to stop momentarily and everyone's attention had been focused on what was happening on the left side of the small human rhombus.
"And now what?" Liang Peng asked in frustration as he surveyed the scene.
Chen He didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he saw Bai Zemin's reckless actions. His move practically forced everyone to stop in a place where they could be attacked at any moment.
However, the only person present other than Bai Zemin himself who knew the reason why he was so calm, was Shangguan Bing Xue. She, who had practically saved his life three days ago, knew that very close to this place was the battlefield where the huge beetle lay dead.
All the dangerous creatures nearby had been crushed by the beetle, decapitated by Bai Zemin, or had their brains crushed and frozen by Shangguan Bing Xue herself. Therefore, the only temporary danger was some straggling zombies that definitely did not reach a hundred.
After nearly two minutes of circling the zombie, Fu Xuefeng finally calmed down a bit and realized that Bai Zemin's words were completely true... These apocalyptic creatures were incredibly slow!
Suddenly, Fu Xuefeng dashed to the right, causing the zombie to slowly start turning around. However, his previous move was just a feint and he quickly moved to the left, confusing the zombie for a moment.
Fu Xuefeng raised his sword high in the air and slashed down with all his might, shouting to shake off his fears. Unfortunately, he couldn't concentrate due to his fear, so the sword sliced off one of the zombie's arms instead of falling on its head.
However, he was not sad or disappointed; on the contrary, he was delighted. Because he had finally realized that as long as he was a little careful, these mindless zombies were not as dangerous as he thought!
Taking advantage of the zombie's weakened side due to the loss of a limb, Fu Xuefeng silently slipped behind the zombie and with a strong slash without much skill, he easily hacked off the infected creature's head.
[You have acquired the soul power of Normal Zombie level 3. Stamina +3.]
[You have leveled up to level 2. You have received 2 status points to distribute freely.]
As the zombie's body fell forward and blood stained the ground, Fu Xuefeng was surprised when several green letters flashed in his retina.
In the end, the 19-year-old was so shocked that he stood there in a daze.
"Congratulations on officially entering the path of evolution." Bai Zemin's voice snapped him out of his surprise. He looked at him and asked, "I did?"
Bai Zemin didn't know whether to laugh or cry seeing the guy's dumbfounded face. In a serious voice, he said, "If it wasn't you who did it, then who was it?"
"I did it... I did it! Hahaha! I finally killed my first zombie!" Fu Xuefeng shouted without caring whether he attracted another monster or not.
Bai Zemin simply looked at him but did not stop him. This guy was not only expressing his joy, but he was also shouting to shake off the lingering fear that still remained in him. After all, it wasn't easy to step forward to battle against death when you know that someone else was willing to do it for you.
Moreover, none of those present mocked Fu Xuefent's childish attitude. On the contrary, they all looked at him with astonishment and disbelief while the looks of ridicule and disdain were long gone.
Fu Xuefeng suddenly ran forward and picked up a white scroll that had fallen from the zombie. Although he hesitated for a moment after knowing what it was, he gritted his teeth and walked toward Bai Zemin as he said, "Big brother Bai, this skill, I give it to you."
"You give it to me?" Bai Zemin picked up the scroll in a daze. He definitely did not expect this move.
[Stealth (First Order Active Skill) Level 1: Erases your presence to some extent while weakening your body smell and the sound of your heart. It costs 10 Mana points to activate and takes 4 Stamina points per minute to keep activated. After deactivation, it has a cooldown time of 20 minutes].
"I give it to you. You use it." Bai Zemin handed the scroll back to him and shook his head. He looked at him with appreciation and said, "Anyway, I never thought of taking what rightfully belonged to you. However, I like grateful people like you. I just hope you can continue to be like that and not get carried away by the emotion of the moment."
"Don't worry, big brother Bai. Although my family may be poor, my parents taught me values. Favor with favor is repaid, and this favor is so great that I will never forget it!" Fu Xuefeng clenched the skill scroll tightly and looked at Bai Zemin with eyes brimming with gratitude.
Not only had Bai Zemin given him the courage he needed to fight, but he also spoke to him with respect and had even allowed him to keep a supernatural skill like the one in his hands. In this world where the strong devoured and fed on the weak, a skill, as useless as it seemed, was no different than possessing another life-saving source in times of need.
"Go get some rest for now. Also, I advise you to add your status points to Agility and Stamina. That way, with your Stealth skill, you could become a terrific assassin." Bai Zemin gently patted his shoulder and advised honestly.
Without hesitation, Fu Xuefeng wished to learn the skill just as Bai Zemin had told him. Then, he silently handed the sword back to him before returning to the crowd with his back straight. Those who had previously glared at him now did not dare to stare at him for more than a second before looking away.
Now that his initial fear was gone, as long as Fu Xuefeng maintained that courage and as long as he was on good terms with one of the four main leaders of this group, his strength would only increase more and more. No one was foolish enough to look for trouble where there was none against such a person.
"You're a mind manipulator~" Lilith sneered beside him. However, even though it seemed like she was mocking, her eyes glittered with appreciation as she said, "Inflict fear first, then embarrass him with your previous talk to push them forward, finally give him power and respect... Kya~ Little Zemin, big sister loves you more and more!"
Bai Zemin smiled slightly before turning around and walking back.
Indeed, Lilith was right. What he was doing was manipulation.
Right now, Bai Zemin might be much stronger than most. However, even he was not able to fight against thousands of zombies; his Stamina would be drained sooner no matter how high it was. Therefore, he urgently needed people able to follow him willingly, people able to become his sword.
Lilith was also delighted that Bai Zemin had understood this so soon. After all, even she herself was not invincible, let alone he who had barely taken his first steps in this new world of evolution and death... Besides, Bai Zemin's move also suited what Lilith needed and was a first step to what she hoped he could one day become.
The group of people soon left the corpse of the zombie decapitated by Fu Xuefeng; their first of many to come.
Other zombies appeared along the way, but all were appropriately dealt with by the main fighters, placating some of the survivors' fear. Soon, however, they saw several buildings collapsed and crushed as if an earthquake had struck the earth during the night and their gazes were filled with horror and shock.
What kind of creature could do such a thing?
Survivors were apprehensive about moving forward and many could not help but stop in fear of what lay ahead.