Chapter 4: The Fear of Being Dominated by Zombies

This was a world tailor-made for martial artists!

He maneuvered Chris into a low crouch, dagger clenched firmly in hand, as he crept toward the corner of the wall.

On the other side, a zombie stood with its back to the fat youth, still gnawing on a corpse sprawled across the floor.

Sensing the scent of a living human, the creature slowly turned its head, revealing a withered, pale, and rotting face smeared with shredded flesh and blood!

It was none other than the legendary "turning head smile" zombie from the very first Resident Evil!

In the original game, this segment had been rendered as a cinematic cutscene before handing control over to the player.

But now, it was manifesting in absolute reality right before Fatty’s eyes!

Between that horrifying, decaying face, the dim ambient lighting, and the utterly suffocating atmosphere of the room, it was no wonder Fatty had been scared witless before, ending up pinned down and bitten to death.

When Resident Evil first debuted, this exact scene had terrified countless players!

Fang Qi, having seen it a myriad of times, was naturally immune, but the spectacle still unfailingly caused a novice like Wang Fatty to tremble, his hands shaking slightly.

Immune to death, possessed of immense strength, and utterly devoid of pain—where would an ordinary person ever encounter such a monstrosity?

Though it was the same game, the freedom and realism offered by virtual reality far surpassed that of conventional gaming; the intense thrill and tension flooded his system with adrenaline, a thread of excitement lacing through his fear, prompting Wang Fatty to charge forward with his dagger!

This time, Fatty’s performance was markedly improved; clutching the dagger with both hands, he plunged the blade fiercely into the zombie's chest!

Yet, he had made a fatal error!

He was not Fang Qi, and he had no inkling that zombies had to be destroyed with a headshot!

Rather than slaying the creature, the stab only provoked its savage nature; with a furious roar, it lunged madly at Wang Fatty!

Once a human turned into a zombie, their raw strength was nothing to scoff at, easily doubling or tripling that of an ordinary young man; the impact instantly threw Wang Fatty to the ground, the creature snapping violently at the carotid artery in his neck!

"Why won't this monster die?!" Wang Fatty shrieked in desperation, shocked that a plunge into a vital organ had done absolutely nothing except drive it into a frenzy!

Fortunately, unlike his previous caught-off-guard demise, he was somewhat prepared this time; he braced his hands against the creature's neck to hold it at bay, though this move left him entirely on the defensive.

Anxiety gripped his heart as he strained with one hand to keep the zombie’s jaws away from him, while using his other hand to drive the dagger mercilessly into its temple!

He stabbed repeatedly, a succession of blows, until the zombie finally seemed to lose all strength and slumped heavily onto the floor.

"It's finally dead!" Feeling the lingering terror the monstrous creature had inflicted upon him, he lay flat on the ground, panting heavily for breath; yet, the realization that he had actually slain such an immensely strong, seemingly immortal beast caused his excitement to triumph over his fear, and a profound sense of accomplishment surged within his chest!

He was a martial artist! Moreover, most warriors in this world possessed an innate reverence for courage and might! The sensation of overcoming a formidable foe through sheer exertion, this sheer thrill of achievement, was simply exhilarating!

Scrambling up from the floor, he searched the immediate vicinity for a while longer, but finding nothing of worth, he turned to leave.

"Is this terrifying monster the bio-hazard zombie Qi-zi spoke of?" At the same time, Wang Fatty found himself deeply intrigued by the game's lore; what kind of world was this, so bizarre, unheard of, and absent even from the wildest biographical novels?

He felt an impending eagerness to continue his exploration!

"It's just that these monsters are a bit too absurdly strong, though it's a relief that dying only means exiting and being able to try again." Wang Fatty felt a touch of regret, still considering the game excessively difficult; after all, for newcomers, their initial experience was almost always dominated by the terror of being overwhelmed by zombies.

Just then, Fatty suddenly noticed a faint, wispy trace of white energy drifting out from the zombie's corpse and sinking into his own body; a wave of warmth washed over him, and he could feel his own strength increasing by a fraction!

Sometime later.

Armed with the experience of that first kill, and after dying a few more times, Wang Fatty finally deduced the headshot strategy; furthermore, having scavenged a handgun in the main hall, he used it to dispatch several more zombies.

The experience was a cocktail of terror, excitement, and challenge; though the zombies were powerful and horrific, he managed to gain the upper upper hand each time, delivering an intoxicating thrill that made it impossible to stop!

Right at that moment, a prompt popped up on the monitor: Respected customer, your balance is running low, please top up.

"That's it?" Wang Fatty ripped off the virtual reality headset and bolted upright from his seat.

"I admit this game of yours is incredibly fun, and I might consider it for one or two crystals, but seven crystals? Isn't that a bit too extortionate?" Though he was already deeply enthralled by the game, the problem was that this money had been set aside to smooth things over for his upcoming exam!

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't matter, but right now, this money could not be squandered!

Before he could finish his complaint, a sudden scowl contorted Wang Fatty's face.

Fang Qi logged out of his own game and caught sight of the fat youth's expression: "Felt it?"

"Felt...?" Wang Fatty threw a couple of forceful punches into the air, followed by two swift kicks, his chubby face twisting even further in disbelief, "My strength and speed... they actually increased? How is this possible?"

"They increased? You probably leveled up," Fang Qi remarked nonchalantly, as if he had expected it all along, opening the character attribute panel; beneath Chris's portrait, a small experience bar was visible, preceded by a line of small text: Lv2.

The original Resident Evil 1 had no leveling system to speak of, but the version provided by the system was different; the characters within could level up, and with each level gained, attributes like strength and reflexes would improve, a progression that would, to a certain extent, reflect onto the players themselves!

This was the true black technology of the system!

Wang Tai's heart instantly leaped with shock!

He was currently merely an ordinary martial artist in the Body-Refining Realm; what did an all-around enhancement of physical attributes signify? It meant he could enter the ranks of an official martial artist much faster!

For him, there was another immediate benefit: tomorrow’s examination at the Lingyun Academy!

This game was not just novel, entertaining, thrilling, and captivating—it could actually augment one's strength!

One had to know that for a martial artist to grow stronger, there was no alternative save for the daily, mind-numbing repetition of practicing techniques and tempering the physical frame!

Yet now, he felt as though he had stepped into a tale from a biographical novel, becoming the protagonist embarking on an adventure within its pages; the sensation was simply magnificent! Absolutely miraculous!

Most importantly, the gratification of personally figuring out a monster's weakness and victorious over each "terrifying" creature provided an explosive sense of achievement!

An activity so thrilling and fun, which simultaneously raised one's strength? Even his final lingering worries were thoroughly dissipated!

Simply brilliant!

Though he had no inkling which Cultivator lord had forged such a magnificent treasure, it now appeared that a fee of two spirit crystals per hour was not expensive at all; rather, it was practically a steal!

With his practical doubts thoroughly resolved, Wang Tai, a denizen of this alternate world, tasted the allure of gaming for the very first time!

Yet, he patted his pockets, where very few spirit crystals remained...

This was the final reserve meant for grease the wheels for tomorrow's exam!

He hurriedly pulled Fang Qi aside and hissed in a low voice, "Qi-zi, let's talk business. If I play here for a few more hours, could you... give me a bit of a discount?"

He knew full well that bribing the examiners might not yield results, and returning home now to cram would be even more futile, not to mention dreadfully boring.

He might as well spend a few hours gaming right here!

Fang Qi let out a soft sigh and shook his head: "It's not that I won't give you a discount, it's that I can't."

He pointed toward the small blackboard hanging by the entrance: "It's written clear as day up there—no discounts."

"Come on... Qi-zi, given our friendship, is it really right for you to be this stingy?" Wang Tai immediately grumbled in protest.

"If I were stingy, I wouldn't have given you those pointers just now." The charm of a game lay in experiencing it for oneself; Fang Qi was inherently averse to spoilers, so offering advice and sharing a bit of background lore earlier had already been exceedingly generous. He stated flatly, "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have bothered."

Seeing that Fang Qi remained entirely unyielding, Wang Tai could only drop the matter, muttering resentfully, "Fine, then can I just bring you the money tomorrow?"

Fang Qi cast another glance toward the small blackboard.

Understanding the implication perfectly, Wang Tai could only mumble under his breath, "You really are a terrible friend, kid."

He slapped a few spirit crystals onto the desk: "Continue!"