Hiding against the alley wall, Wang Zhifan watched as the female gunner transformed into a necromancer by the young mage fired a couple of mechanical shots at the corpses on the ground at his command. She then quickly stood by the young mage’s side, waiting like a soldier on standby.
After a simple test of the female gunner’s necromantic abilities, the young mage began selecting zombie corpses on the ground for further necromantic conversion. Each zombie corpse, which wasn’t severely damaged, rose again under his spell, transforming into his battle force. This included the large-mouthed creature that recently emerged from the underground to ambush the female gunner, only to be counter-killed. This formidable individual might also be a special type of zombie.
"So this person relies on reviving zombies to control them as a necromancer."
Having observed all this, Wang Zhifan immediately realized that the young mage’s actual profession, definitely that of a necromancer, gave him a considerable advantage in this scenario. Yet, Wang Zhifan still couldn’t fathom why this human didn’t suffer zombie attacks like he didn’t.
"Rushing directly to kill him is a bit reckless; best to hold back for now and see if a better opportunity for revenge arises later."
At this moment, still hidden, Wang Zhifan pondered carefully. He yearned to directly confront and eliminate the young mage who set him up. However, considering the dungeon’s threats, vengeance was temporarily put aside as he silently retreated from the area.
Moving away from the zone, Wang Zhifan continued to seek the solitary elite zombies he needed, without a hint of slackness. It was already past 5 p.m., leaving him little daylight.
Yet often, the more urgent he was to find something, the harder it became to locate.
In the remaining time, Wang Zhifan maximized his search efficiency, using his formidable speed and stamina to scour several square kilometers. However, he couldn’t find a truly suitable sparring zombie.
"Can’t keep this up, it’s almost dark; better just find some pushovers to train with and head back."
Before the sunset in this Zombie City could touch the horizon, Wang Zhifan altered his strategy. He ceased searching for his favored solitary elite zombies and directly located an area with fewer zombies on his way back to the skyscraper base. There, he unleashed his Dream Self for a synchronized attack, rapidly clearing the area of zombies.
Since this region lacked any elite zombies, his practical combat training was exceedingly dull—devoid of challenges or ripples. Even though he found it a bit tough to adapt to the split-mind combat style, the zombies stood no chance against the combined assault by him and his Dream Self.
"According to the cultivation technique, masters of the Great Dream Saber Scripture are incredibly powerful but can at least control two Dream Selves to aid in combat. Some experts can control four or five Dream Selves to besiege their enemies, while those specializing in the path of avatars can field an army alone, making it impossible for foes to see the real self until their demise... I still need much training to master controlling my Dream Self."
After hastily practicing combined combat with his Dream Self, Wang Zhifan realized the vast difference between himself and the recorded masters of the Great Dream Saber Scripture. Aside from the subsequent mysterious capabilities of the technique, he was still a novice in controlling his Dream Self.
Now, the sunset in this Zombie City was halfway below the horizon, and zombies were growing more concentrated on the streets. To avoid any potential leader-class zombies that could appear anytime, Wang Zhifan sped up towards his three-story commercial building base without any pause.
But returning to the district near his base, he noted a peculiar player passing by hurriedly across the street, sparking his vigilance.
It was a lean man dozens of meters away, with whom he exchanged a brief mutual glance as they crossed paths without any specific interaction.
The reason Wang Zhifan paid attention to this individual was the severe wound on the player’s right arm, almost bitten through by something. Moreover, his complexion was bizarrely abnormal, not the type from severe injury, but akin to a zombie-like affliction.
"I recall this person claiming to be an Assassin at the start of the scenario. Judging by his arm injury, he might be the Assassin player bitten by a special zombie in the supermarket I was in yesterday. Apparently, he’s never strayed far from this area, probably due to his severe injury and infection."
After the earlier incident with the young necromancer, Wang Zhifan grew exceedingly wary of any players he encountered. Noticing this Assassin lingering near his base, he stayed alert to monitor any movements and circled around to return.
This response might not effectively evade an Assassin player, known for invisibility and speed, but at least it reduced his chances of being tracked.
"With my current perception ability, I’d detect anyone invisible if they got close. But to be safe, I better stay up tonight."
Cautiously making his way back to the third floor of the commercial building, Wang Zhifan first tasked his Dream Self to phase through walls and inspect the room. Only then did he enter.
Having been away for hours, he found nothing had changed, confirming no visitors had arrived. In this dense zombie zone, even an invisible Assassin player would weigh their risks before entering.
Back at his safe base, Wang Zhifan secured the doors and windows, lay on the sofa-bed for a rest, and refueled his energy with some food, waiting for the night to fall fully.
Considering this was the second night of the scenario, with leader-class zombies potentially emerging, he prepared for anything.
"Tonight, I’ll leave my Dream Self outside to observe, whilst in the room, try practicing a second Dream Self. Regardless, I must learn to use at least two Dream Selves in synergy for combat; that’s a basic requirement."
Apart from the pressure of surviving the later stages of the current scenario, Wang Zhifan faced substantial cultivation demands. With three excellent-tier cultivation techniques to practice, if he didn’t promptly master them, selecting these techniques previously would be pointless, and he might have been better off choosing three fine-layer items instead.