NOVEL SIMPLE CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 38: Simba’s Vow
The sheer number of zombies surging forward defied expectations. It was a monstrous sea of undead, their forms blurring together in the pale moonlight. Wang Xiong, momentarily overwhelmed, couldn’t even estimate their exact count.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, he triggered his Steel Skin ability. His skin turned a steely gray, a physical manifestation of his newfound power.
“To the barricades!” he commanded Zhang Lixin and the remaining survivors, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Without hesitation, Zhang Lixin, Dr. Meng Jie, and the others scurried toward the small, fortified structure. With the civilians safely secured, Wang Xiong exchanged a silent glance with Zhang Chengcheng, a mutual understanding passing between them.
He swiftly maneuvered, positioning himself at the back window gap. The "Zombies Strike Array" was now fully operational. Lu Ming, occupying the high ground on the second floor, served as the primary line of defense, his slingshot unleashing a deadly hail of steel beads upon the approaching horde.
Wang Xiong and Zhang Chengcheng, flanking the openings in the low wall, formed a secondary defense line, drawing the zombies away from Lu Ming’s vantage point. Meanwhile, the huddled survivors within the makeshift barricade served as additional bait, further diverting the undead’s attention.
But was the "Zombies Strike Array" truly effective? It remained to be seen.
Lu Ming’s killing efficiency defied expectations. His slingshot, propelled by enhanced strength, rained down blows with astonishing speed, leaving the zombie horde struggling to adapt. Each projectile found its mark with uncanny accuracy, occasionally missing a target only for Lu Ming to swiftly dispatch the straggler with a follow-up shot within seconds.
For the lumbering undead, a mere hundred meters presented a formidable obstacle course, especially with Lu Ming acting as a relentless reaper. Hundreds of zombies littered the path, their lifeless forms testament to his lethal precision.
The vanguard of the approaching horde finally reached within thirty meters of the "Zombies Strike Array." However, their progress was further hampered by the pre-dug pitfalls and strategically placed traps. As an additional layer of defense, Zhang Chengcheng extended her hand, a distortion emanating from her palm, enveloping the area in front of her.
The effect was instantaneous – the advancing zombies stumbled, their movements sluggish and labored. It appeared as if they were burdened by invisible weights, their once-menacing pace reduced to a slow, agonizing crawl.
This unexpected development surprised even Lu Ming. His eyes widened in astonishment.
“What the hell is this?!” he exclaimed, the concept of superpowers a foreign notion just a day ago. “Magic?!” he echoed, disbelief lacing his voice.
Zhang Chengcheng, emboldened by her newfound ability, turned towards him, a radiant smile illuminating her face.
“It’s my Level 2 Awakened superpower,” she declared proudly.
“Making them slow?”
“No, it’s gravity,” Zhang Chengcheng corrected, a spark of realization igniting in Lu Ming’s mind. However, the urgency of the situation demanded his immediate attention. Stealing a glance at Zhang Chengcheng, he unleashed the blistering hand speed honed over his twenty-five years of bachelorhood. He fired his slingshot with a frantic urgency, driven by the desire to eliminate the horde quickly and test his burgeoning hypothesis.
Simba, meanwhile, was consumed by confusion. Surveying the carnage before him – the vast swathe of fallen zombies – a single thought echoed in his mind: "This is impossible!"
Simba’s heightened intelligence allowed him to grasp a horrifying truth. The true architect of the massacre wasn’t the two Level 2 Awakened, but an “ordinary person” entirely outside its scope of perception. This defied all logic!
While a Level 2 Awakened undoubtedly possessed formidable combat prowess, Simba wouldn’t have been unduly surprised if they had spearheaded the decimation of the horde. After all, its brethren served as expendable pawns, their sacrifices depleting the Awakened’s strength and stamina. The higher the zombie death toll, the greater the advantage for the hunters in the long run.
However, Simba couldn’t reconcile the fact that the zombie horde had been dealt a crippling blow before the two Level 2 Awakened even engaged. An unsettling premonition gnawed at it.
The accelerating rate of zombies collapsing to the ground fueled Simba’s unease. With a cunning glint in its eyes, it formulated a plan.
“Roar!” (That slingshot-wielding ordinary person on the second floor is too ruthless! This can’t go on! Brothers, charge him!) it bellowed, its guttural cry echoing through the night.
The remaining four hunters responded to the call, though they lacked a clear understanding of the situation or the true meaning behind Simba’s roar. Nevertheless, the primal urge to charge required no explanation. Coincidentally, it aligned with their established hunting strategy – it was time to make their move.
Under the ethereal moonlight, the four hunters transformed into nimble shadows, their movements mirroring parkour masters as they vaulted over buildings and vehicles in a swift assault on Lu Ming’s house.
Simba, however, remained rooted to the spot, its eyes narrowed in intense observation. It even displayed subtle signs of retreat, waiting for the opportune moment.
Suddenly, a deafening bang shattered the silence. The lead hunter’s head erupted in a grotesque explosion, akin to a rotten watermelon bursting open. Its lifeless body plummeted from the sky, leaving a crimson stain trailing for nearly ten meters across the ground.
Even with its superior vision, Simba could only discern a fleeting glimpse of a small spherical object propelling from the second-floor window, inflicting instant death with a precise headshot.
"What the hell is this?!" Simba’s mind reeled in disbelief.
Bang! Another thunderous report echoed in the night.
The second hunter met a fate identical to the first – a gruesome explosion that separated its head from his body. Despite their impressive agility, Lu Ming’s enhanced Dynamic Vision proved to be an insurmountable obstacle. With a three-dimensional advantage exceeding ten points, he could anticipate their movements with ease, rendering them predictable targets.
Another deafening bang echoed in the night. The third projectile, however, veered slightly off course, striking the hunter’s leg with devastating force. The impact was akin to a controlled explosion, causing the entire limb to disintegrate in a crimson spray. Witnessing the horrifying sight, Simba grasped the true terror of the assault.
The injury would have been debilitating on its own, but as the hunter crumpled to the ground, a second shot found its mark – a headshot that ensured a swift and merciless end.
The fourth hunter, blissfully unaware of the gruesome demise of his comrades, continued its charge, fueled by the momentum established by its fallen brethren. Using the three fallen hunters as unwitting sacrifices, it had successfully reached a point within thirty meters of the building – a critical threshold.
Zhang Chengcheng, her gaze sharpening with newfound focus, unleashed a surge of her gravitational power. The invisible force slammed into the approaching hunter with brutal efficiency, pinning it to the ground and stripping it of all mobility. its desperate struggle was futile – it was rendered a helpless victim.
The inevitable bang concluded the symphony of death. All four hunters had perished within a span of less than thirty seconds.
Simba, initially overwhelmed by disbelief, was now consumed by a primal terror. Drawing upon its superior intellect, the zombie known as Simba made the most crucial decision of its unlife – it fled.
Under the ethereal glow of the moon, Simba surged forward on all fours, a grotesque parody of a sprinter. Its razor-sharp fangs were bared, saliva spraying from its gaping maw. Its speed was phenomenal, so much so that the wind seemed to distort its grotesque features, creating an unsettling afterimage in the moonlight.
Within a minute, Simba had sprinted out of Good Hope Village, the sounds of the shambling horde echoing faintly behind it. A glimmer of survival instinct, honed by the harsh realities of the post-apocalyptic world, flickered in its eyes.
"Monsters..." it rasped, the word a guttural whisper. "There are monsters in this damned place!"
Reaching the village entrance marker emblazoned with the words “Good Hope Village,” Simba made a solemn vow.
"I, Simba," it declared in its inhuman tongue, "would rather starve or die of thirst! Never again will I set foot in this accursed place called Good Hope Village!"
With that chilling declaration, Simba pivoted and vanished into the night, leaving the horrors of Good Hope Village behind.
Back in Lu Ming’s house:
Zhang Chengcheng’s gravity manipulation proved to be the perfect complement to Lu Ming’s enhanced capabilities. The overwhelming horde, once a formidable threat, became a sluggish, easily targeted mass under the influence of her power. Their once-menacing charge transformed into a bumbling, predictable advance.
As for the four hunters – their demise had left Lu Ming feeling strangely underwhelmed. They hadn’t posed a significant challenge, offering little sense of accomplishment in their defeat.
Despite the anticlimactic encounter, the battle yielded a significant reward. Lu Ming’s Slingshot Proficiency surged – Level 11 to Level 12, then an impressive leap to Level 13. His rapid ascension finally halted at 1075/1300, coinciding with the complete eradication of all active zombies within his field of vision.
A satisfied grin stretched across Lu Ming’s face. “When it comes to leveling up proficiency,” he mused, “there’s nothing quite like a horde of zombies.”
End of Chapter 38