Chapter 40

- Xenon -

( AN: Current progress is: 0/100 EXP. I forgot to change it in the previous chapter. )

I slowly opened the door, heart beating wildly in its place, threatening to burst out of my chest. I stopped for a minute to see if they would notice any difference about me. I was surprised that, even though they've clearly noticed me on several occasion, they didn't bat an eyelid in my direction. I know they can tell who their fellow walker is by scent, but it's good to know that their scent has a pretty big range.

I started moving, doing my best to imitate them, which wasn't really that hard. Annoying more than anything, as I had to adjust my speed. My goal was quite simple: draw the walkers away from here. It wasn't just about leaving. I need to leave with all the loot I've gathered, otherwise I'd have spent nine days in here for nothing. But thankfully, the situation wasn't as bleak as you'd think. It is fairly easy to draw them away, especially since I had a clear vision of my objective now, thanks to the map I've obtained earlier.

This street is very long both ways, and the fastest way to draw the walkers away is to make sure there are no obstacles in their path, so they have a very smooth travel. But I was worried: on my way back, would they notice the irregularity if I'm not walking the same direction as them? I wasn't sure. They can tell when someone is walking faster than he should, which is why you should walk instead of run as a walker.

And either way, I had no intention of going through a big hoard of walkers to the other side. It would be pretty dumb on my part, since I would be at their mercy.

I walked for a good 250 meters, and I could tell because the walkers weren't on the map anymore, or simply because the mini-map could also provide the distance if you wished.

I could only see a single walker in the vicinity, so I took out my gun and shot him in the head with the Glock.

< 1 EXP Gained ! >

I waited for a few seconds, and I could see the walkers start appearing on my mini-map, heading towards my current position albeit at a faster speed than usual. It seems whenever they are excited, they increase their speed. Good to know.

I resumed walking until I reached an intersection, and shot the air this time, as I couldn't see anything to shoot at, and I was never one for vandalism…

I took a right on the intersection, I wanted to go back to the house, and there are other ways to reach it without being in significant danger, especially when you have a map of the area. I just had to walk around them, and the problem would be solved. Granted, it would take me a bit more time, but the walkers wouldn't be going back there anyway, so it's a win-win.

Unsurprisingly, the walk back was smooth. There were a few walkers heading to the source of the sound, but I just ignored them as they ignored me. I would've killed them for more EXP, but it was time to go back to camp now. I will be going to the city later on, but until then, I need to stay focused.

I didn't take out my 'walker costume', a few walkers passed by the house, so it didn't harm me in any way. Speaking of which, I probably shouldn't dispose of it. I think I'll be placing it in my inventory when I'm done.

I cleared my inventory in a corner of the living room, before I started loading everything, and unloading it in the back of the van. It had a lot of space in the back, enough to live in it. So, holding all the supplies was quite easy.

I would load things the mundane way under normal circumstances, as there was a slight risk that someone would be watching as I am magically pulling stuff out of nowhere and putting it on my van, which is why I made sure to get in and close the door every time. You would ask me why I wasn't using my new skill to see if there was anyone in the vicinity?

First of all, 30 meters really isn't that much. Anyone within thirty meters of me I could clearly notice with my own eyes. And most importantly: as the cost of the ability was unclear, I wanted to wait until I was in a safe zone before trying it out.

It was 1 PM by the time I was done. I took all the gas in my previous car, knowing that it was compatible with my new van. But thankfully, the van itself was already full, so I could keep it with me. Now that I think about it, I should put some emergency gas in my inventory, just in case I was in an emergency. Though with my new Anti-Walker outfit, walkers weren't really an emergency anymore.