Shane had just finished consuming his meal, one of the three remaining instant noodles, when he caught wind of a man's pleas outside his property.
Promptly, Shane sprang into action, taking his revolver along.
While he had anticipated a visitor due to his Territory Lord Title, he remained uncertain whether the individual outside was the one he awaited. In this instance, he felt that confronting another human with a revolver held more authority than wielding a hatchet.
Upon emerging from his shelter, Shane laid eyes on a disheveled middle-aged man attired in what appeared to be hunting garb. As he took in the man's unkempt appearance, he noticed that the individual was being pursued by two zombies leaping among the trees!
"What in the world! I've never witnessed anything before," Shane exclaimed in horror as he laid eyes on the leaping zombies. With their terrifying glowing green eyes, muscular legs, and extraordinary agility, they moved about with remarkable dexterity.
"Over here!" Shane bellowed as he pointed his firearm at one of the leaping zombies.
However, before he could discharge a round, the creature leaped to impede the man's path.
"Tsk!" Shane clicked his tongue in frustration.
It was time to switch to his hatchet. His shooting skills were subpar, and there was a risk of inadvertently harming the very person he intended to aid if he attempted to shoot the zombies.
Without hesitation, Shane dashed to the man's aid, calling out to draw the zombie's attention. If the middle-aged man possessed any combat prowess, they might stand a chance in a one-on-one confrontation.
Fortunately, the man discerned Shane's intent. Instead of solely seeking refuge, he decided to confront one of the zombies head-on!
With a sudden change in direction, he collided with the unprepared zombie, creating a resounding impact.
At that moment, Shane noticed that the man was equipped with a steel arm guard, effectively shielding him from the zombies' bites.
As the other zombie poised to lunge at the middle-aged man, Shane deftly wielded his hatchet, activating its special ability.
From a distance of merely 5 meters, Shane chose to hurl his hatchet to impede the zombie's leaping attack.
The hatchet struck the zombie's left rib, triggering a freezing effect and disrupting its balance. Without hesitation, Shane swiftly drew his revolver and fired two shots!
The first round hit the zombie's head, but it only removed a huge chunk of its face.
It was still writhing and ready to leap on him!
But the second bullet shattered its skull, scattering blood and brains everywhere before it fell lifeless!
[ You have eliminated a Jumper Zombie. ]
[ Congratulations! You are the first to eliminate Jumper Zombie, a mid-tier zombie! ]
[ Hint: Only the first elimination of each Mid-Tier and High-Tier zombie can provide special rewards! ]
[ You can select one reward: 1 Instant Experience Potion, 20 Zombie Cores, 1 Random Giftpack ]
Shane ignored these messages for now as he swiftly turned around to help the middle-aged man. He didn't even have the time to take his hatchet with him.
He saw the man brandishing his dagger, but he was unable to cut the zombie's skin at all!
It was too tough as if it was made of stone!
'So my hatchet was just too sharp!' Shane realized as he moved closer to get an easier angle for his shot!
"Jump to the side!" Shane shouted, and the middle-aged man didn't hesitate to follow!
As soon as he jumped to the left, he heard a couple of gunshots!
Once again, even if Shane was already close, he still didn't get its forehead at the first shot. Instead, he only hit its jaw!
Luckily, the impact of that shot still dizzied the zombie even though it couldn't feel any pain. It was unable to react to his shot.
'What a bad aim…' Shane commented to himself as he realized that his second shot only hit its neck, but because he imbued it with burn effect, its head was soon severed from its body, essentially killing the zombie.
[ You have eliminated a Jumper Zombie. ]
"Thank you for saving me, Sir! I'm Harper…" The middle-aged man said as he stood up and looked at Shane curiously.
"Mhmm… Hello, Harper. Do you have something to say?" Shane asked after noticing Harper's hesitation.
"Ahh… I'm sorry. I'm just curious if you're one of the Foreign Survivors that will bring peace to this land." Harper said, which confused Shane for a moment.
"Foreign Survivor? Yes, I think so... Wait, let's talk about that later… I will loot the zombies first." Shane said as he looted the nearest zombie.
[ Do you want to retrieve the loot? ]
[ You have earned 8 Experience Points. ]
[ Loots obtained: 1 Item Upgrade Crystal, 1 Zombie Core, 500mL water, 1 bread, 100mL Jumper Zombie Blood, 1 Spirit Enhancement Bottle ]
"Ohh… I finally looted some bread! It's not even the stale bread that Raze mentioned in the chat." Shane felt excited as he finally knew the zombie that would feed him!
Then, he also looted the other Jumper Zombie.
[ You have earned 8 Experience Points. ]
[ Loots obtained: 1 Item Upgrade Crystal, 1 Zombie Core, 500mL water, 1 bread, 100mL Jumper Zombie Blood, 1 Spirit Enhancement Bottle ]
Upon witnessing the zombies vanish in specks of light, an important realization struck Shane.
"Wait... It yielded fewer experience points than the Spitter Zombie?" Shane pondered aloud, recalling that the Spitter Zombie had granted 30 experience points in one go.
If he was not mistaken, the Spitter Zombie was merely a low-tier zombie. How, then, could a mid-tier zombie yield fewer experience points?
"Is it a special zombie? Maybe it's a rare one, only appearing once a week or something…" Shane speculated.
Regardless, such considerations were not relevant at the moment.
He still needed to choose one of the rewards for his accomplishment. After careful deliberation, he opted for the Instant Experience Potion.
[ The rewards have been sent to your inventory! ]