"Upgrade successful!" the system voice sounded. "Level 2 Gym: Consumes 1 energy point per hour of use, increases physical attributes (strength or agility) by 0.5 each time, can be used twice a day. On the second use, attribute increase is halved, and intermediate combat skills are included."
"So, the gym can increase attributes by 0.75 each time," Anthony's eyes sparkled. In half a month, he could increase his strength attribute to at least 16.55. 1655 pounds would already be the level of a half-awakened individual.
With such strength, even if he encountered a first-tier mutant, he could escape even if he couldn't defeat it. However, his current strength attribute was only 3.6, barely reaching the level of an amateur boxer. Before the emergence of first-tier mutants, he had acquired basic survival ability. The remaining energy points: 7.78. They could sustain the base for just over a day.
Anthony curled his lips. He needed to acquire more energy points. With that thought in mind, Anthony gazed intently at the zombies wandering outside the base and once again set out with his knife...
The area where the base was located was called Yanghe District. It housed the second-best private high school in the city, and many parents rented houses in the surrounding area for the convenience of taking care of their children. It's worth mentioning that there were numerous small non-woven fabric workshops in Yanghe District, which employed many parents taking care of students. Some breakfast shops, supermarkets, and other establishments also emerged around the school, forming the unique ecosystem of Yanghe District.
This also meant that Yanghe District had a population of tens of thousands. "Let's start by clearing Yanghe West Road!" Anthony made up his mind. After all, Yanghe West Road was less than 30 meters away from the base, and if it attracted a horde of zombies, he could quickly retreat inside the base.
With that in mind, Anthony crouched behind a house. The zombies on West Road moved slowly because the majority of the residents there were over 55 years old. Among them were also zombies converted from individuals over 70 years old, with only a few young zombies scattered among the groups.
After observing for a while, Anthony picked up an empty can from the ground and threw it. Clang! The can hit the ground and made a sound. The wandering zombies were immediately attracted to the sound. Although they didn't find any living creatures, they slowly started moving towards the source of the sound.
"A good opportunity!" Anthony targeted a zombie that reached the corner in front of a building and swiftly swung his knife towards its neck.
Splat! The strike was lightning-fast, and the zombie hardly reacted. Its head rolled off, and its body fell to the ground. The falling of this zombie's body didn't draw the attention of the zombies behind it, and they continued moving in this direction.
Two more! Seeing two zombies appear, Anthony lifted his axe again and made a diagonal slash. The zombie on the left had its head instantly relocated. As its companion died, the other zombie slowly turned its head and became excited upon seeing the human in front of it. It raised its hands and prepared to lunge. A blade flashed by, and the zombie's gaze quickly fell, revealing a bewildered expression as it crashed to the ground.
Anthony looked at the two dead zombies with excitement on his face. With this speed, it was not impossible to upgrade the gym to level three. He decided to wait and see, and more than twenty zombies were killed by him. For a moment, there were no zombies in sight on Yanghe West Road. "That's enough for now," Anthony said, looking at the pile of zombie heads on the ground. He squatted down and started digging out crystals.
But in the next moment, a sharp female voice rang out. Anthony was slightly stunned, but he continued to dig, not paying much attention. In the apocalypse, human nature was complex, and someone could betray you in the blink of an eye. He had experienced such things before.
During the onslaught of zombies, a teammate was trapped in the crowd of zombies. He and his brother Clark went to rescue him. After finally saving the person, it turned out to be a trap set by Daisy. She intentionally closed the city gate after they entered, leaving Anthony and Clark unable to get into the city and being overwhelmed by the zombie horde.
He would never allow such a thing to happen again. He dug out all the zombie crystals. Anthony counted them and found he had 30. He put them in his backpack, zipped it up, and immediately turned around to go back. But before he could take two steps, a young girl suddenly darted out from a nearby alley and stood in front of him.
The girl, about twenty years old, was very beautiful. She was wearing a school uniform with a white shirt that accentuated her curvaceous figure. Underneath her plaid miniskirt, her slender and fair legs were particularly eye-catching. However, the girl looked extremely disheveled at the moment, perhaps because she had been running too fast. Strands of hair fell in front of her face, giving her a messy appearance.
"Help... help me. There are... so many zombies behind me," Bella said, breathing heavily, her chest heaving up and down. She was obviously exhausted and looked to Anthony for help.
"Oh," Anthony replied expressionlessly and turned to walk away.
"Hey... how can you just ignore someone in danger? Wait for me!" Seeing Anthony leave and noticing the zombies approaching from behind, Bella endured the burning pain in her chest and chased after Anthony.
Feeling the girl following behind him, Anthony wore an expression of speechlessness and quickened his pace. In his eyes, this girl was definitely a big trouble. He just wanted to return to the base as soon as possible and get rid of this nuisance.
But as he turned into the alley leading to the base, his steps suddenly halted. He instinctively tightened his grip on the machete in his hand, and his mind was filled with frustration. Did he open his mouth too soon? What he feared had actually happened!
In front of his line of sight, at least 30 zombies were rushing toward him, and zombies were continuously emerging from the open doors of the residential buildings on both sides of the alley. They were undoubtedly attracted by the foolish woman's voice.
Anthony was irritated. Because of this foolish woman, his situation had become dangerous. Ahead of him was a group of more than 30 zombies, and behind him, the foolish woman was leading a large group of zombies running towards him.
A trace of helplessness flickered across Anthony's face, and his gaze gradually became sharp. Blaming the heavens and others was a sign of incompetence in such situations. He calmed down and began contemplating a plan of action. With over 60 zombies combined on both sides, if he were to confront them head-on, no matter how skilled his swordsmanship was, facing a group of zombies surrounding him from all directions would eventually result in exhaustion and becoming a meal for the zombies.
That was not what he wanted to see. After a brief silence, Anthony's brain started working rapidly, and his eyes scanned the surrounding houses. It was not until he spotted a narrow doorway of a private house that his eyes sparkled with determination. As long as he could lure these zombies into the private house, he could take advantage of the narrow door to hold off the horde.
However... Anthony turned his head and glanced at the weeping girl not far behind him. "Don't... don't leave me, save me!" Bella cried out, her eyes glistening with tears, her body seemingly reaching its limits. Without paying attention for a moment, she lost her footing and fell hard to the ground. Bella desperately struggled to get up but couldn't manage to stand. She watched as the zombies behind her approached closer and closer.
"What a hassle!" Anthony sighed. If he didn't save her, this woman's loud cries would undoubtedly attract more zombies. If he ended up surrounded by a horde, no matter how much stamina he had, it would be depleted.
Gritting his teeth, Anthony bent his legs and sprinted towards Bella, much to her surprise. His agility attribute was 1.8, and his speed could reach 12.6 meters per second, which meant he could cover a hundred meters in less than 9 seconds. In one swift motion, Anthony lifted the girl and carried her on his shoulder, desperately running towards the residential building.