"Ah, refreshing~"
In front of the bathroom, Li Ming, who had just taken a shower, felt completely refreshed. He got up to make a bowl of powdered milk to drink, and incidentally, he brought the sharpening stone from the kitchen to the bathroom.
He took out the long sword and started meticulously grinding the blade and the tip with the sharpening stone.
He planned to wield his sword against the zombies, and a blunt weapon wouldn't do, so he decided to sharpen his sword today.
"Zzz, zzz..."
The sound of sword sharpening traveled through the doorway and out into the open. Zhang Yuan, who had just finished washing dishes, heard it and relayed this information to her husband when she got home.
"Heh, this guy is seriously considering using his damn sword to fight zombies."
Peng Zhi didn't think much of it and even found it amusing, chuckling at the thought.
"I noticed he's been working out quite seriously these past few days. He's drenched in sweat during meals, probably training in his room."
Zhang Yuan furrowed her brow a bit, thought for a moment, and spoke up.
"Just goes to show, there are differences between people. Some are born to succeed, while others are destined to fail."
Peng Zhi laughed, a disdainful expression on his face: "Do you really think his half-assed workouts can help him handle zombies? I bet he'd freeze up at the sight of them."
"That idiot, practicing with a sword, even a gun wouldn't help him. He'd be torn apart by zombies the moment he steps out."
"With the current situation, we have to ration our food and wait for rescue. His training doesn't help him beat zombies, it's useless. It's just a waste of food. If he doesn't get killed by zombies outside, he'd starve to death at home."
Peng Zhi chuckled coldly. As he was speaking, a sharp scream echoed from the building opposite theirs, followed by the furious roaring of zombies.
"Help, help, the zombies are eating people, help..."
"Ah..."
"Roar..."
Instantly, the entire apartment complex erupted in a chorus of zombie roars. The color drained from Peng Zhi's face in fear.
His wife, Zhang Yuan, had frozen in place, too scared to breathe.
This horrifying ordeal lasted for ten full minutes before the sounds finally subsided. The apartment complex returned to tranquility, as if the chilling screams and zombie roars that had just filled the air never existed.
But the two inside the room remained paralyzed for quite a while longer.
"Honey, should we... turn off the air conditioning?"
Zhang Yuan trembled, her voice betraying a hint of tears.
"Off, right, turn off the AC, now, quickly, lock the door, turn off the lights."
Like someone jolted awake from a dream, Peng Zhi rushed to turn off the AC, then locked the door and switched off the lights before diving onto the bed.
Zhang Yuan had already climbed onto the bed. The room fell into silence.
Peng Zhi sat dazed, staring at the apartment building across from them. He didn't need to speak to know what had just happened.
The despair in that scream was heart-wrenching.
"Honey, you heard it, right? Humans can't beat zombies. We don't even have guns, let alone fight zombies."
"We need to save as much food and water as possible, wait for rescue to arrive. That's the only way we'll survive."
A glimmer of relief flashed through Peng Zhi's mind. He turned to his wife and started whispering comfortingly.
Zhang Yuan, still terrified, nodded continuously. Peng Zhi felt a sense of satisfaction creeping in, as he stared at the curtained window, praying that the zombies would never reach their doorstep.
...…
"Hisss..."
Pouring water over the sword blade, Li Ming checked his freshly sharpened and incredibly sharp blade and tip, exhaling in relief.
He sheathed the sword, stepped out of the bathroom, and peered through the curtained window at the residential building opposite. He had heard the terrifying screams and roars earlier, deepening his sense of crisis.
He clenched the hilt of his sword but eventually shook his head. He was exhausted from the day. Overtraining might affect his training tomorrow, so he abandoned the idea of staying up all night to train.
"Apocalypse..."
A question sprang to his mind: Will there be a rescue?
"The military, with their overwhelming power, should be able to deal with these monsters."
Recalling the zombies he had encountered in the complex, Li Ming thought to himself, but then shook his head: "Regardless, I must ensure my own survival first. I'll sleep now and continue training tomorrow."
Sword training doesn't just improve swordsmanship but also strength and willpower. Even if a rescue eventually does arrive and he gets new weapons, his continually recovering physical strength will still be useful.
"Besides, right now, the sword is the only weapon I can rely on."
Pondering, Li Ming placed the sword by the side of the pillow within easy reach and laid down to sleep.
The first full day of the apocalypse had passed.
However, for many people, it was anything but peaceful. Fear and terror lurked in everyone's hearts.
Countless reckless individuals paid the price with their lives.
There were screams of horror throughout the residential complex…
…
The following day, in the morning,
The sun continued to shine brightly, and the indoor summer heat remained oppressive.
Yet, someone was sweating profusely in this environment.
"The thirty-third strike!"
Li Ming took a deep breath, swiftly twisted his legs and waist, and sharply thrust his sword forward.
[Bow-Step Sword Thrusting proficiency +1]
[Bow-Step Sword Thrusting (Mastered in Mind 0%)]
Two successive lines of transparent information floated before his eyes, accompanied by a sudden enlightenment about sword thrusting.
The details of how the legs should position and exert force while thrusting, and how the right arm wielding the sword should angle when thrusting, were all included.
Li Ming instantly understood how to thrust his sword more conveniently and smoothly.
From thought to action, he immediately raised his sword to thrust.
Push off with his legs, twist his waist, thrust his sword—smooth!
"Whizz..."
[Bow-Step Sword Thrusting proficiency +1]
Another line of information floated before his eyes. As his proficiency in sword thrusting increased, Li Ming recognized some of his mistakes at this level of swordplay, prompting a flicker of interest in his eyes.
"Almost there. Based on this progress, two more levels should suffice for it to become formidable."
A day and a half had passed since he woke up from his coma. If this morning was included, then two full days had passed. Over these two days, he had made hundreds of thrusts, and he felt he was about to achieve his goal in terms of power!
As for dealing with the zombies… merely knowing how to thrust a sword should suffice!
Unable to contain his excitement, Li Ming couldn't help but execute a few more sword thrusts. However, he also felt exhaustion accompanying the rise in his proficiency.
He didn't practice any further. Instead, he stretched his muscles, took a break, and sat down to hydrate.
After resting for half an hour, he rose to his feet, sword in hand, ready to thrust again.
"Whizz..."
The sword pierced through the air with an increasing display of forcefulness. Li Ming managed to execute over twenty thrusts in one go, with more than half successfully increasing his proficiency.
But he felt fatigue creeping in again. He stretched once more, and took another rest.
Half an hour later, he rose to his feet to continue his training.
He trained nonstop until noon, sweat drenching his back, before finally putting away his sword to eat.
When he stepped outside to cook, he noticed that Peng Zhi and his wife had already prepared a meal and were eating with the door open. As he turned around, he saw Peng Zhi—lounging comfortably in his sandals and fanning himself—looking his way.
Li Ming frowned, said nothing, and walked into the kitchen. He prepared his meal and took it back to his room to eat.
…
…
In the alternating cycles of training and rest, time flew by, and night fell before he knew it.
After eating, Li Ming sharpened the spearhead of the Red Tassel Spear, took a shower, and went to bed.
Before he fell asleep, he checked his stats. After a whole afternoon of training, his proficiency at Bow-Step Sword Thrusting had increased!
[Bow-Step Sword Thrusting (Mastered in Mind 53%)]
It was much more difficult to improve proficiency at the Mastered-in-Mind level than the beginner level. However, his improvement was still quite fast thanks to his continuous practice.
Moreover, his strength was gradually increasing. The three-pound sword felt natural in his hand after two days of training, and he was steadily increasing the number of full-force thrusts he could execute during practice.
All of this testified to the steady increase in his strength alongside his technique.
"Let's hope nothing happens in the next two days."
Li Ming thought to himself. He wanted to build up his strength as quickly as possible and avoid unnecessary complications. With these thoughts, he gradually drifted off to sleep.