11 Chapter 11: First Contact

Driving down the highway, Rick kept asking me question about what happened and i if I saw Lori and Carl. After I tell him that the town was abandoned when I got here and everything that happened afterwards. He goes silent and I turn my focus to my system and my stat point allocation.

I initially had 90 stat points but I used 5 points on luck because it didn't increase with every level up and I wanted to see how useful it was. The effect was subtle but I could notice it from slightly increased loot when scavenging to slightly higher hit rate. I figured it might become more useful as it increases but I didn't need it right now.

After meeting Rick, the Fourth Tab in the System seem to unlock and it was a system shop. I had been wondering for awhile why the System had a money stat but like any good, system-abiding, citizen, I robbed the local bank and stored it in the System just in case. It was going to be left to rot anyway and no one would miss it so I don't see the problem. You could even say I'm doing them a favour by cleaning up.

The System Shop wasn't anything complex. It had a 24 hour refresh timer and there was items available daily. It was divided into 5 categories. The first category had daily necessities like food, water, etc. The second and third categories were crafting materials and weapons, respectively and the fourth category was blueprints. The fifth category was special items that could be found in-game like HP potions, EP potions and stuff

My inventory was still stacked up on food I had scavenged from the town in my one month's stay so I didn't need anything for now and the weapons and blueprints were something I didn't need so I just left it alone. The only thing interesting was the special category. I still needed to test it but if I could give what I bought to other people then my future plans would be easier. Also having to kill 1,000 Walkers just to get to level 10 was getting boring so I was hoping for an XP multiplier or something.

I had a bit of OCD and looking at the stats being random rubbed me the wrong way so I decided to round them all off. The most important stat right now was STR and DEX. After STR and DEX would be VIT, INT and WIS. WIS was another stat that didn't have obvious physical/mental effects after every added stat point but I could feel my Perception and Willpower increase slightly. Although the Gamer Mind skill made me immune to psychological effects and calmed me down, it didn't make me any less scared in battle.

My theory was that Willpower gave me courage in tense situations and helped strengthen my resolve. Perception spoke for itself and I could notice a lot more things I would've glossed over before from wind shifts and temperature fluctuation to changes in the environment and approaching hostiles, although barely. I also felt that my decision making got slightly quicker and intuition had become a bit more active.

After distributing my saved up stat points, this is what my status look like

[

1/4

Name: Matt Hardy

Class: The Gamer

Title: Apprentice Zombie Slayer

Level: 10 (0%)

HP: 250/250 -> 400/400

EP: 280/280 -> 500/500

STATS :-

STR: 35 -> 60

VIT: 25 -> 40

DEX: 28 -> 50

INT: 30 -> 40

WIS: 31 -> 40

LUK : 10

Point: 85 -> 4

Money: $2.8M

]

When my strength got boosted, I felt invincible but I knew this was just an illusion. I instinctively knew that I was now stronger than normal Walkers and I would only need my hands to take care of them . I was itching to try out my axe but with Rick in the car, it was impossible.

I decided to keep my strength and the System's existence a secret until I deemed it necessary. I didn't want the survivors to rely on my strength and I also wanted to test them. I need people that could help me save this world but I wouldn't accept any useless people. I could just do it myself but what's the fun in doing something cool when no one's there to see it?

Rick was already confirmed but I needed him to strengthen his mental fortitude. On my list along with Rick was Shane but I need to make sure he was okay and test him as well. Lori, that useless bitch had him around her finger and I wasn't gonna recruit any simps. I could trust these two to get the job done. I didn't want to rely on my knowledge from the shows to judge them so I decided to meet them before finalizing my decision.

We arrived in Atlanta shortly afterwards but the car ran out of gas so we got out and started walking. The road leading to the city was empty without a car in sight but the roads leaving were packed. On the left, a train had derailed and the contents of the train spilled out onto the track. As we got closer, the city that was in the distance got bigger and bigger and now, we could see the individual windows on the high rise buildings with crows flying overhead.

It was eerily quiet and I was still amazed that such a bustling city came to a halt in just a month. They should've been able to handle this level of Walkers despite their numbers. Throwing the thought aside, we continued walking. We passed by the bus that had Walkers sleeping inside and saw them start to move. I tap Rick on the shoulder and signal him towards the intersection and we jog there to stay ahead of the following Walkers.

At the intersection, there was a Humvee at every turn and in the middle of the street, there was a tank. On top of the tank, there was a body with crows on top of it, having dinner. Rick looks uncomfortable at the sight but I just shake my head.

The crows get startled and fly away. A few seconds later, we hear a helicopter flying over us. Before I can grab Rick to tell him to calm down, he takes off down the street, sprinting. I knew he was coming back so I just stayed put by the tank and waited. A minute later, I see him running back, followed by a horde of Walkers just like in the show.

"Matty, run! They're coming!" He shouts at me

No shit, sherlock. I ain't blind but I just keep my thoughts to myself and nod. Probably in panic, he forgot that noise also attracts them so all his shouting did was bring the Walkers from my end of the street towards us as well. Just great.

Rick stumbles running back and fall to the ground. I unholster my gun and run towards him, shooting at the Walkers close to him. I reach him and holster my gun before dragging him to his feet. He stands up and thanks me before reaches for his piece but I stop him

"Unless you got unlimited ammo in that six shooter of yours, it's no use" I say

He looks around and deliberates before nodding. I gesture him to follow me and we run back to the tank. At the tank, we see the Walkers are already around it so I pick up Rick and throw him on top of it. I hear him scream but I couldn't care less. I jump after him and as soon as I land, I push Rick inside the tank and close the hatch.

I see Rick close the bottom hatch and close my eyes to take a breath but before I could fully relax, I hear growling. I instantly open my eyes remembering what happened and I turn to Rick quickly

"Rick, wait sto-"

Before I could get my sentence out, The dumbass shoots his revolver at the Walker's head. We both get dazed, ears ringing, by the sound of the gunshot, reverberating inside the tank but I recover fast as Gamer Mind activates. Just getting dazed was the best possible scenario. What if the bullet had torn through it's head and ricocheted and hit us or he hits any ammunition lying around? We would've been fucked.

I was about to laying into him but I see him on the ground, still trying to get his bearing so I decide to let it go. There's a beretta 92 on the ground near the body so I pick it and hand it to Rick who finally recovered.

"You need a spare incase your partner runs out and you need something with more bullets" I say

"Thanks." He replies

I hear the Walkers outside pounding against the tank from all sides and I can see that Rick isn't well. I could understand why. We were both stuck inside a tank, surrounded by Walkers with no way out and three pistols between us. He didn't know about my strength or the future like I did so everything he was feeling was true despair. I felt bad for not telling him but I needed him to experience this and grow stronger so he could help me. I would make sure he doesn't die but everything else was up to him.

Just when it looks like he looked like he was about to give up, the radio behind me crackles to life and we hear a man's voice come through right on time

("Hey you. Dumbass. You in the tank. You cozy in there?")