The fat man shouted as he sprinted toward Zhu Jiu, covering the distance of roughly 300 meters in just under 50 seconds. His enhanced physique made him as swift as a top-tier athlete.
"If this guy can hold them off for just a moment, I'll have a chance to escape," the fat man muttered under his breath as he ran.
"Once I've mastered my abilities, I'll come back and wipe out these beasts."
"Don't worry, brother. Your sacrifice won't be in vain. Humanity will remember you for saving a genius like me!"
Zhu Jiu's enhanced hearing caught every word of the fat man's muttering. A faint smile flickered across his face as he listened.
By the time the fat man was within a few meters of Zhu Jiu, the infected were less than ten meters behind.
Zhu Jiu moved.
With an explosive burst of power from his legs, Zhu Jiu launched himself forward. His muscles bulged, and his dual blades swung down with devastating force, carving through two infected in a single stroke.
He pivoted sharply, his body twisting like a coiled spring. The blades swept horizontally, leaving silver arcs in the air.
The remaining three infected were cleaved in half mid-charge.
Bagua Blade Technique. Dual Blades. Night Battle Across Eight Directions!
[Detected: Host has killed infected. Capturing dark energy...]
[Dark energy successfully captured. Host gains 5 points.]
As the mutilated infected fell to the ground, the system credited Zhu Jiu with the points.
The fat man, who had sprinted a dozen meters ahead, glanced back at the sound of the commotion. What he saw left him dumbfounded.
"This..." He stared at the grotesque remains of the infected, swallowing hard. "Is this for real?"
"Humans can actually be this strong?!"
"Is he even human? A monster, maybe?"
Zhu Jiu turned to meet the fat man's wide-eyed gaze and offered a faint smile.
The fat man shuddered at the sight of that smile, his eyes darting between Zhu Jiu and the still-twitching infected corpses.
Zhu Jiu sheathed his blades and began walking toward him.
The fat man hesitated, clearly torn between running and staying put, his feet frozen in indecision.
Finally, he forced a smile. "B-brother, thank you so much! If not for you, I—"
Before he could finish, pain erupted in his stomach. His face turned beet red as his features contorted in agony.
"W-what... the hell..."
The fat man's bulging eyes locked onto Zhu Jiu, his mouth working to form words before he collapsed into unconsciousness.
Zhu Jiu calmly withdrew his fist, nodding in satisfaction.
"There's nothing quite as satisfying as a punch," he said with a smirk.
"Too bad these infected have that infection ability. Otherwise, using my fists on them would be even faster."
"Once I save up enough points, I'll get a good pair of gloves or knuckle dusters. That'll make fighting these beasts much more enjoyable."
His blades, worn down from repeated use, were beginning to dull. But the weapons in the system's store were prohibitively expensive, leaving him to make do for now.
"It all comes down to points," Zhu Jiu muttered, glancing at the unconscious fat man with a grin.
"Looks like my next source of points just delivered itself."
Hoisting the fat man onto his shoulder, Zhu Jiu began heading back to his gym.
Meanwhile, on a nearby rooftop, the woman in the white uniform watched the scene unfold.
When she saw Zhu Jiu draw his blades and save the fat man, a smile spread across her face.
"He's willing to risk himself to save others," she murmured. "It seems he's not a bad person."
"And his strength... He took down five infected so easily. He's even stronger than I imagined. I need to approach him quickly before circumstances change."
She prepared to descend, but paused mid-step when she saw Zhu Jiu knock the fat man unconscious and carry him off.
"What...?"
Her clear eyes blinked in confusion.
"Maybe I'll observe a little longer," she decided, her voice hesitant.
At the center of Lacquer Street, atop a small two-story building, the fat man was tied up and hanging from the roof.
He remained unconscious, an oddly serene smile on his face.
Below him, the ground was littered with infected corpses, dismembered and scattered across the rooftop.
In the center of the carnage stood Zhu Jiu, his black combat shirt soaked with sweat, revealing the sharp contours of his muscular frame.
"Thirty-two," Zhu Jiu murmured, pulling his blade from an infected corpse. Despite his exhaustion, a smile tugged at his lips.
In just an hour, he had killed 32 infected, increasing his point total from 9 to 41.
"That's enough for today," Zhu Jiu said, glancing at his pocket watch. It was past 7 PM, and the sun had set.
Normally, the streetlights would have illuminated the street by now, but tonight, they remained dark.
"Guess they're broken," he muttered, shaking his head.
With internet and power out, Zhu Jiu could only imagine the state of the world.
"No communication, no electricity, and infected everywhere. The catastrophe is worse than I thought."
"At least evolvers have a chance to survive. Ordinary people can only hide and wait for rescue."
His gaze shifted eastward.
About 50 kilometers away lay a military base in South City, home to a full regiment with tanks, aircraft, and countless weapons.
Zhu Jiu had friends stationed there and knew they were well-equipped to handle emergencies.
"It's been almost a full day since the catastrophe began. The military's reinforcements should be arriving soon."
"Hopefully, the civilians can hold out until then."
Sighing, Zhu Jiu turned his attention back to the present.
"41 points. Time to upgrade my Iron Shirt and figure out how to get some proper blades."
His current weapons were falling apart, and without them, his efficiency in killing infected would plummet. Finding better weapons was a priority.
Zhu Jiu looked up at the fat man hanging above him and smirked.
"Stop pretending to be unconscious. Let's talk."
The fat man didn't stir.
"Still pretending? Fine. I'll leave you up here to enjoy the breeze. Maybe some infected will come by for a chat."
As Zhu Jiu turned to leave, the fat man's eyes flew open.
"Hey! Brother! What are you talking about? I was just joking, okay?"
"Let me down, and I won't hold a grudge. We'll call it even, how about that?"
Zhu Jiu didn't reply, continuing to walk away.
"Brother! No, big brother! Heroic savior!" the fat man shouted, abandoning all dignity. "I was wrong! I was blind! I shouldn't have tried to use you as a shield!"
"I see now we're kindred spirits! We both hate these infected! Let's join forces and wipe them out together!"
"Come back, please! Bro! BRO!"
Zhu Jiu stopped briefly, flicking a metal throwing star backward with precision. It sliced cleanly through the rope, dropping the fat man to the ground.
The fat man twisted midair, landing nimbly on all fours.
"Keep up," Zhu Jiu said, not even glancing back.
The fat man hesitated, glancing at Zhu Jiu and then at the street behind him. He seemed torn between running away and following. Finally, he gritted his teeth and jogged after Zhu Jiu.
"Hey, big bro, can you untie the rest of these ropes for me?"