Skreeee—!
That tooth-grating friction echoed again, like a rusty iron spoon scraping violently against a person's back molars.
Lin Hui, who had been chewing on the succulent mutton, froze mid-bite. He set down his chopsticks, the comfort in his eyes instantly replaced by a sharp alertness. The heater was still humming, but the air in the cabin felt as if it had solidified.
"On the left, by the door."
Lin Hui held his breath and crept toward the driver's seat. Through the side window, he saw a face. Or what used to be a face.
A humanoid creature was clinging to the door. Its skin was a deathly grayish-white, looking like pork that had been bloated in water for too long. There were no pupils—only a turbid, ghastly white—and its mouth was torn open to its earlobes, revealing rows of jagged teeth coated in black slime.
It seemed to sense the heat and the scent of living flesh; it pressed its horrific face against the glass, nostrils flared, sniffing greedily.
[Ding! Monster detected.]
[Analyzing target data...]
A red data box popped up in Lin Hui's mind:
[Target]: Strength-type Zombie (Tier 1)
[Strength]: 30 (Note: Average healthy male is 5; pro boxers range from 10–25.)
[Agility]: 5 (Note: Average healthy male is 5.)
[Constitution]: 30 (Note: Average healthy male is 5.)
[Evaluation]: A hungry Tier 1 zombie. Its claws can easily shred your flesh.
"Strength 30?"
Lin Hui's eyelid twitched. It wasn't slow like a classic zombie; it was as fast as a human but stronger than a world-class heavyweight boxer. He looked at his own frame and sucked in a cold breath.
If he encountered this thing outside the car, he wouldn't even have a chance to resist. And this was only Tier 1. The monsters of this world were terrifyingly strong.
Before Lin Hui could recover from his shock, the zombie lost its patience.
"ROAR—!!"
It let out a guttural howl. A withered but iron-hard claw slammed into the door.
BOOM!
The three-ton RV rocked violently under the impact. Lin Hui grabbed the steering wheel, his eyes locked on the door. The thick sheet metal was now caved in—a fist-sized dent. Three deep claw marks were clearly visible, the jagged edges of the metal glinting in the dark.
[Warning! Vehicle is under attack!]
[Judgment: Marginal Defense. While not breached, structural integrity is taking damage!]
Lin Hui took a sharp breath, forcing himself to stay calm.
"This Lv.1 RV is just a 'tin can.' If I let this thing keep tearing at it, the door won't last a minute. Once it breaks in, I'm dead meat in this cramped cabin."
"Counter-attack? Or run?"
Suddenly, he remembered the fourth Survival Rule: Even ordinary monsters are formidable, but every kill yields rich resources.
Lin Hui gritted his teeth and reached for his waist, gripping the Axe-Pistol he had just traded for.
[Name]: Axe-Pistol
[Type]: Weapon
[Ammo]: 3/9 [Description]: Cleave in melee, shoot at range. Caution: Extreme recoil.
The cold metal grip steadied his nerves. But he didn't shoot, and he didn't open the window. He hesitated.
"Can I kill it with one shot? To fire, I have to lower the window. In that split second, is my bullet faster, or are its claws?"
He looked at the razor-sharp talons and then at his own unexceptional arms. Forget it. A real man doesn't get into a knife fight with a monster—especially when he has a "cheat" active.
"Why should I play to its strengths with my weaknesses?" Lin Hui whispered. He holstered the Axe-Pistol and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. "I have a battering ram right here!"
Snap!
He disengaged the handbrake and slammed the gear into Drive. He floored the modded gas pedal—the one empowered by the [Infinite] trait.
"GET... OFF!!"
ROAR—!!!
The double-powered engine erupted with a thunderous shriek. The RV lunged like an enraged rhino, tires tearing at the permafrost, kicking up a storm of ice and soil.
The zombie clinging to the door clearly didn't expect the "iron lump" to suddenly explode into motion. The massive inertia tossed its body backward, but its claws were buried so deep in the metal that it remained pinned to the side of the car.
Creeeeak—! The sound of shredding metal was agonizing.
"Still not letting go?" Lin Hui stared at the hideous face snarling at him through the glass, his eyes cold. "Fine. Then don't ever let go!"
A hundred meters ahead stood the guardrail of this abandoned highway. Though rusted and old, it was solid steel. Lin Hui didn't slow down; he pushed the pedal deeper.
80... 90... 100 km/h!
Just before the front of the car hit the rail, Lin Hui jerked the wheel to the right!
In a normal RV, this move would have caused a rollover. But with the RV's three-ton weight and Lin Hui's mad precision, the massive body stayed grounded. It scraped against the guardrail with devastating kinetic energy.
The zombie was caught right in the middle—the "meat" in a sandwich of steel and iron.
"Die!"
CRUNCH!!!
A dull, wet thud. It was the sound of bones pulverizing and flesh detonating. Then came a frantic, screeching friction.
Zzzzzzt—Screeee!
The zombie's shriek was cut short, forced back into its throat by the sheer force of the impact. Under the pressure of a three-ton vehicle moving at 100 km/h, its "Strength 30" and "Constitution 30" were a joke. It was flattened like a tomato in a hydraulic press.
Black blood and pulped meat smeared across the side window. Lin Hui felt a slight bump—the tire running over what remained.
[Ding! Killed Tier 1 Strength-type Zombie!]
[Drop 1: Vehicle Upgrade Blueprint (Lv.1 → Lv.2) x1]
[Drop 2: Universal Fuel x1]
[Drop 3: A bottle of Sprite (500ml)]
Lin Hui's heart leaped with joy. The rewards were indeed generous! He didn't stop immediately, driving for several more kilometers before pulling over in a relatively safe spot.
"Phew..." He wiped the cold sweat from his brow. After confirming the coast was clear, he cautiously pushed open the door, Axe-Pistol in one hand and flashlight in the other.
The -10°C wind howled around him. He tightened his clothes and inspected the damage. The exterior was a mess—dented, clawed, and scored by a long, deep gouge from the guardrail. Black stains and unidentifiable bits of gore clung to the metal.
After a quick cleanup, he retreated to the warmth of the cabin. He pulled out the upgrade blueprint.
[Name]: Vehicle Upgrade Blueprint (Lv.1 → Lv.2) [Requirements]:
RV Lv.1 (Met)
Steel x 50 units (Obtainable by dismantling abandoned vehicles)
Rubber x 10 units (Obtainable by dismantling tires; currently 7/10) [Effect]: Full-body armor reinforcement (Defense increases to 40); Space expansion.
Defense 40... Lin Hui's eyes lit up. If a Strength 30 zombie could barely dent the current door, at Defense 40, that kind of monster would be like a kitten scratching at a safe. Plus, reaching Lv.2 meant...
"The [Golden Trait Per Level] talent will trigger again."
He gripped the blueprint, his gaze burning. The first trait, [Infinite], gave him the foundation to outrun the mist. What would the second one be?
Suddenly, a bold red message flashed across the Regional Channel, breaking his train of thought.
"HELP!!! My car broke down!!" "Please... I'm Li Shuang, a professional model. Save me, I'll... I'll do anything!" "My coordinates are..."
The system panel updated the location in real-time. Lin Hui noted the coordinates—she was only three kilometers away.
But he had no intention of playing the hero. In the apocalypse, a "Saint Mary" complex only accelerated one's own death. He closed the mangled door and locked it tight.
The encounter had taught him one thing: "On this Highway of Death, a person is worth less than a car."
"As long as the RV is strong enough, I live."
He slapped the blueprint onto the dashboard, shifted into gear, and started the engine. It was time to hunt for scrap metal and tires.