Zombie King System

Electronic laboratory

"Did I really level up? How did that happen? Was it because of the battle?" Lin Hao asked curiously.

"No, that's not it," Gou Dan immediately denied.

Lin Hao started pondering. If it wasn't because of the battle, then what was the reason? Suddenly, he remembered the enticing scent from yesterday. After killing the alpha zombie, he had extracted a bright red tumor from its head and eaten it.

"Could it be that tumor?" Lin Hao asked, suspicious.

"That's right, it's called a crystal core. It's the essence of a zombie's body. Only by acquiring a crystal core can a zombie evolve. You must have noticed that the intelligence of that level-two zombie was significantly higher than the surrounding zombies," Gou Dan explained.

Lin Hao nodded. It was true; other zombies wouldn't have challenged him like that.

Lin Hao couldn't resist pulling up his stats panel again.

"Didn't expect leveling up to be this rewarding. Every attribute increased by 5, except for the evaluation, which is a bit harsh. My spirit has reached thirty," Lin Hao said, feeling pleased.

"That's an extra perk from the system. The first time you level up, each attribute point increases by 5. From then on, each level will only add three attribute points," Gou Dan burst Lin Hao's bubble.

"…Fine, it's still pretty good. At least I'm not at the bottom anymore. Leveling up to two requires five hundred experience points. How is experience calculated?" Lin Hao asked.

"The current max experience value times 5 is the experience needed for the next level," Gou Dan explained.

Lin Hao was stunned. "So from level three to four, I need 2500 experience points, and from four to five, 12,500? Damn."

Lin Hao also noticed his title.

"What about this title? Now that I'm a butcher, what if I face another alpha zombie?" Lin Hao asked.

"Using your skill, you can crush them. Physically, they would crush you. Since you're level two now, you have unlocked several permissions, but you don't have access to the title information yet," Gou Dan said.

Lin Hao swore under his breath. "So what can you tell me that I do have permission to know?"

"When you reach level three, your speed attribute will increase by 5, and other attributes by 3. At level five, strength increases by 5. At level seven, stamina increases by 5. At level nine, spirit increases by 5," Gou Dan explained.

"Are you saying spirit-type zombies have it the worst?" Lin Hao asked, exasperated.

"No, I'm telling you that you should avoid level-three speed zombies, level-five strength zombies, level-seven stamina zombies, and at level nine, it's your domain," Gou Dan replied.

"I see. Spirit-types are weak early on but strong later, so I should run from zombies of those types at levels three, five, and seven," Lin Hao concluded.

"Exactly."

"Does that mean I can only level up by hunting high-level zombies?" Lin Hao asked.

"Yes."

"If I hunt zombies of the same type, will my spirit increase?" Lin Hao asked again.

"Yes."

"Other types only increase experience?"

"Yes."

"Can you say anything other than 'yes'?"

"Screw you."

Lin Hao opened his eyes.

Through the window, he noticed it was already nighttime. He felt the soft blanket beneath him and saw the girl sitting in the corner.

The girl had fallen asleep, her eyes slightly closed, and her brows furrowed as if in a nightmare.

Lin Hao moved closer. This time, he had no thoughts of eating her; he just watched her quietly. She reminded him of his sister. If his sister were alive, she might be as adorable as this girl.

"Ah!" The girl's sleep was light, and she woke up easily in this environment. In peaceful times, she would have been her parents' treasure, sleeping soundly without worries. Now, she couldn’t even fall into a deep sleep, highlighting the harshness of their surroundings.

"You're awake," she said timidly.

Lin Hao nodded.

"Are you hungry?" she asked again.

Lin Hao shook his head.

The girl visibly relaxed.

"Are you tired?" she asked.

Lin Hao wasn't tired at all. He pointed to the bed and then to himself and the outside. His meaning was clear.

Though still wary, the girl was clearly very tired. She had no more to say and quickly fell asleep once she was back on the bed.

Lin Hao checked the doors and windows. He locked the door tightly from the outside to ensure no zombies could get in easily. Only then did he feel reassured enough to leave.

Outside, Lin Hao felt a burst of energy within him. He could probably run ten kilometers without blinking.

He was looking for food for the girl. His senses had become much sharper after turning into a zombie, and he could hear her stomach growling.

On the first floor, he found a black backpack with bloodstains. It had belonged to the girl’s sister, who had protected it even after turning into a zombie.

Lin Hao opened the bag and found various snacks and bottled water. He slung the bag over his shoulder, not wanting to disturb the girl while she slept.

"What are you going to do with that girl?" Gou Dan asked.

"Take her to a place with people," Lin Hao replied.

"How do you know where there are people?"

Gou Dan's question left Lin Hao silent. Did survivor bases really exist? Lin Hao didn't know, and he certainly didn’t know that the system had escaped from one of the largest survivor bases.

"Regardless, I have to try. I can't let a little girl stay with me, a zombie. What if I accidentally hurt her?" Lin Hao said.

As he saw the electronics lab on the first floor, an idea struck him.

"Right! Even if the internet is down, there should still be wireless radio. If I can find a radio, I might be able to pick up useful channels," Lin Hao said excitedly.

Gou Dan was surprised. "You, a computer science major, know how to make a radio?"

"You don’t understand. Before studying computer science, I was an electronics enthusiast. Building a radio is one of the simplest electronics projects," Lin Hao said, entering the lab with excitement.