Chapter 35: The Kill, Upgrade Mode Activated

Confronted by Enrico's warning, the two zombies remained heedless and continued to shamble forward awkwardly, as if getting used to their reanimated bodies. They seemed to be the most common kind of zombies, slow-moving and practically sitting ducks.

"Halt, don't move!" Enrico warned again, but the zombies kept advancing. At this point, Forrest couldn't stand it any longer and fired his gun in disgust, hitting one of the male zombies in the leg. The shot caused the zombie to stumble and fall, but it wasn't a fatal blow.

"Forrest, what are you doing?" Captain Enrico expressed his dissatisfaction with Forrest's impulsive action.

"Forrest did the right thing. These creatures, they are no longer human," Zhang Fan said calmly, having fully regained his composure. He was determined to let Lei Zi stand at the pinnacle of Academy City. How could he falter before these mere zombies? With that thought, he raised his P5 pistol and aimed at the enemy.

"Zhang Fan, you?" Captain Enrico was surprised to see such composure in a new recruit.

"These beings, they are like reanimated corpses. So, they must be either vampires, zombies, or the like. If I am not mistaken, they should be the lowest form of zombies," Zhang Fan explained, somewhat ambiguously, careful not to arouse suspicion.

"So, they attack humans?" Forrest felt reassured by Zhang Fan's explanation. As the zombies were now close, Forrest fired again, accurately hitting the hearts of the two zombies.

"Forrest!" Captain Enrico yelled again, but it was too late to undo what had been done.

"This can't be!" Richard exclaimed in shock. The two zombies, though shot in the heart, had risen again.

"You can't kill zombies like that," Zhang Fan thought to himself. Staying calm, he aimed at the head of the first male zombie and fired. Two 9mm bullets pierced the zombie's skull.

With a thud, the zombie fell and twitched a few times before becoming motionless.

Zhang Fan then aimed and fired at the second zombie. With the sound of gunfire, both zombies were eliminated, and Zhang Fan's game points increased by 10. If this trend continued, Raccoon City would become his prime hunting ground after the outbreak.

After killing the zombies, Zhang Fan was surprised to hear the voice of the system, Xia Cai.

"Kill mission completed, upgrade mode activated!"

Upgrade mode? Zhang Fan wondered about this new feature but knew this was not the time for questions. He had to focus on completing the mission first.

"What in the world are these creatures?" After Zhang Fan had killed the zombies, everyone seemed to awaken from a nightmare. As Zhang Fan had suggested, they seemed like resurrected corpses, perhaps vampires or zombies from legends.

"Zhang Fan, how did you know their weakness was in the head?" Rebecca asked curiously. Forrest's shots had hit the zombies' hearts, but to no effect. It was surprising that their weakness wasn't there.

Hearing Rebecca's question, everyone turned their gaze to Zhang Fan, curious about his knowledge of these creatures.

"In my country, China, there are many legends about zombies, and usually, their weaknesses are sunlight or the head. Obviously, these creatures are not afraid of sunlight. As for the head, it was just a guess, but it turned out to be correct," Zhang Fan explained confidently, knowing that his foreign background added to the mystery.

"So, Zhang Fan, do you know Chinese martial arts?" Rebecca asked, still youthful and uninhibited, unlike the more cautious older team members.

"A bit of Chinese martial arts, yes," Zhang Fan replied, touching his nose. Would his Poyu Fist technique count, even though it was a skill from the game?

"Really? You must show me sometime!" Rebecca said excitedly, intrigued by the legendary Chinese martial arts.

"Let's talk about it later. Right now, we're working," Zhang Fan said, subtly hinting at Enrico, who was watching them.

"So now, let's continue our search. Keep close to each other, and Edward, maintain contact with everyone!" With Zhang Fan's explanation, Captain Enrico heightened the alert, and except for Edward, the pilot, everyone resumed searching.

This time, the team stayed closer together, not straying more than five meters apart. Rebecca even clung to Zhang Fan's side. Despite being S.T.A.R.S. elites, she was still a young girl at heart.

As they moved forward, there were no further incidents. The forest was eerily silent, and everyone seemed to hear their own heartbeat, aside from the rustling sound of their footsteps on the grass.

"This damned mission, why do I feel more and more uneasy?" Richard grumbled, trying to alleviate his fear by lighting a cigarette.

Indeed, the silence was unsettling. Zhang Fan tried to use the technique Lei Zi had taught him to focus and observe any movement around them. He knew that in such a scenario, danger could arise at any moment.

Zhang Fan's previously relaxed expression was gone. Initially, he thought the mission would be simple, but now he realized it might not be as straightforward as he had assumed.

"Richard, be careful!" Suddenly, Zhang Fan noticed something above them, heading straight for Richard, who had just lit his cigarette.