Stockpiling Supplies&Raising a Child in a Post-Apocalyptic World by DrawingCards

Chapter 11

The two zombies naturally noticed Lin Ran's movement and the scent of a living person. The tall male zombie in the lead lunged at her.

This zombie was terrifying. One of his eyeballs had already burst out, with some sticky substance, possibly eye fluid or blood, oozing from the eye socket, making it look more disgusting than a slug. His shoulder seemed to have been bitten by another zombie, still oozing black blood. He emitted a hoarse, inhuman growl.

Lin Ran didn't dare to be negligent. She quickly reacted, kicking the male zombie in the chest. Although he staggered, he didn't fall because another female zombie was right behind him.

At this moment, Lin Ran seized the opportunity, gripping the hilt of her Tang sword with both hands, and swiftly chopped down at the male zombie's neck. With the sound of metal grinding against the zombie's vertebrae, the male zombie fell backward, pressing the female zombie beneath him.

Lin Ran was pleasantly surprised by her Tang sword. It was sharper and more durable than she had imagined. Normally, it would take four or five chops with a machete to sever a head, but with her Tang sword, she was confident she could do it in two strokes.

While the male zombie was trying to get up, she quickly delivered another chop. A foul-smelling blackish-brown blood spurted out, splattering all over Lin Ran, with a stench worse than rotting fish.

If it weren't for her endurance training as a top bodyguard, the stench would have made an ordinary person vomit.

But she couldn't afford to slow down. With the male zombie down, the female zombie underneath was still growling. Lin Ran stepped forward, firmly stomping on the male zombie's chest to pin the female zombie down, and quickly raised her Tang sword. Two strokes later, the feral female zombie was no longer moving.

"Congratulations, you've collected 2 Level 1 zombie crystal cores. These cores can be used for a draw," the system's mechanical voice sounded in Lin Ran's mind.

She keenly caught the implication in the system's words, "So, there will be Level 2, Level 3 zombies in the future?"

"Yes, as the level of the zombie crystal cores increases, the level of the draws you can participate in also increases. Higher-level draws contain more rare and valuable prizes," the system explained.

Lin Ran felt a chill. The planet R2 was already like this with just Level 1 zombies. If higher-level zombies evolved, it would be tough in the future.

But she didn't have time to dwell on it. She wiped the blood off her face with her sleeve and continued downstairs. On the third floor, she encountered four more zombies, seemingly a family. They were wandering near the elevator door and hadn't seen Lin Ran, but she didn't intend to just pass by. If she avoided a few zombies now, how would she manage the path ahead?

Thinking this, Lin Ran felt a surge of energy. At least she had some things ordinary people didn't. She cautiously approached the large white iron door connecting the fire escape and the hallway. She could still see the zombies through the gap.

A female zombie, about 1.5 meters tall, started moving towards the white door. This female zombie had a limp; one of her legs was crippled. Her neck had been half bitten off by a zombie, leaving the vertebrae exposed through the remaining flesh.

"3, 2, 1!" Lin Ran silently counted down in her mind. When she reached one, she kicked the iron door. It swung open, and the female zombie was kicked behind the door.

The large white door creaked as it was about to close. Just then, a limping female zombie squeezed through the crack, pushing half of her body towards Lin Ran. Lin Ran pressed her leg firmly against the white door, keeping the zombie stuck with only half of her body exposed.

Lin Ran's lips curled slightly. "So eager, huh? Alright, I'll put you out of your misery."

As she spoke, she swung her sword at the female zombie's neck, aiming for the spine. Though Lin Ran had been an international bodyguard in her previous life, quickly neutralizing enemies was a necessary skill. She knew exactly where the weak points on the human body were and aimed for the natural gaps in the spine to conserve her strength.

Lin Ran felt the jolt in her hands as the sword struck the zombie's spine. She tightened her grip and pulled the sword back, then swiftly retreated like a monkey. The female zombie lunged out of the door, and Lin Ran, taking advantage of the zombie's momentum, decapitated her with a swift stroke.

As the female zombie fell, three more zombies lunged at Lin Ran. She willed her long sword to disappear and flipped down to the next level by grasping the handrail of the fire escape. The long sword reappeared in her hands just as she landed.

The two male and one female zombies behind the fallen female zombie tripped over her body and tumbled down the stairs. Lin Ran had been waiting for this moment. One of the male zombies, dressed in a suit now soaked with dark blood, crawled towards her. His face, once clean and handsome, was now covered with grotesque, bluish veins, and his neck was twisted at an unnatural angle.

"You must be suffering. Let me end it for you," Lin Ran said, not waiting for the zombie to reach her. She raised her sword and swiftly stabed it at his neck twice, stopping his struggles.

Meanwhile, the female zombie leapt at Lin Ran, her bloody mouth aiming for Lin Ran's carotid artery. Lin Ran pushed the zombie's head back with both hands and kicked her away. Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Ran hacked at the zombie's neck again and quickly withdrew her sword. Even with her neck spurting blood and head tilting to one side, the zombie continued to lunge at Lin Ran. The old male zombie behind her stumbled over the suit-wearing zombie's body but continued to crawl towards Lin Ran.

Lin Ran swiftly dodged and swung around the iron railing of the staircase, only to come face to face with a janitor zombie at the end of it. Now, Lin Ran was caught between a rock and a hard place. She didn't panic but kicked the janitor zombie, using his slow reaction time to her advantage. She could have escaped through the now-open second-floor exit but chose to fight instead.

She charged at the janitor zombie, cutting him and kicking him against the wall. Before he could react, her second strike split his head, covering her in foul blood. Despite the mess, Lin Ran remained calm. The danger had made her more focused.

Turning back, she saw the two zombies from upstairs closing in. Smiling, she charged at them. Just as she was about to collide with the female zombie, she spun and slashed, severing the zombie's spine. Without pausing, she hacked off the old male zombie's outstretched arm and finished him off with two more swift strikes.

Her attacks were noticeably faster and more excited now, adrenaline boosting her strength and speed. Killing zombies, however, was exhausting, and she had barely left the stairwell.

"Congratulations, Host. So far, you've collected 7 level-1 zombie crystal cores. Keep up the good work," chimed System 33.

Lin Ran rested against the stairwell wall, grateful she didn't have to retrieve the cores from the zombies' brains herself. She pulled out a tissue to wipe her face in front of her phone, though her clothes were soaked in dark, foul-smelling blood. Changing clothes was pointless as they would just get dirty again.

She checked the time. According to the system, the first draw location would appear at 4 PM and remain for 3 hours. She needed to collect a hundred level-1 zombie crystal cores within that time to participate in the draw.

Taking a deep breath, she pocketed her phone, grabbed her sword, and headed downstairs. At the corner connecting the first and second floors, she encountered a pleasant surprise: at least five or six zombies were wandering near the open ground floor entrance. Lin Ran's lips curled into a smile. With the narrow staircase giving her an advantage, these zombies were nothing more than appetizers.

T/N: Honestly the fighting scenes were written better than I imagined. (´つヮ⊂)