Li Chen Encounter A Mutant Zombie

"So you're saying there is a crystal at the heart of each zombie?" Li Chen asked as he stepped out of his room.

"Yes. With so much time passed, they would have all formed their first crystal," Hera responded.

"How will I use it to get stronger and become a Level 1 Warrior?"

"When you get the crystal, I will tell you then."

Li Chen nodded, and his expression became firm. 

From the movies and novels he read in his previous life, he knew this was his chance to get a head start before anyone else. 

Thus, he was mentally and physically prepared to face the zombies.

When he saw the second floor was now devoid of zombies, he breathed a sigh of relief and made his way down.

"I need a weapon," he mused.

Since he was in the Wild Goose Commerce chamber, he knew finding a weapon wouldn't be difficult.

On the ground floor, five zombies stood frozen with lifeless expressions. 

Suddenly, they all turned their head in a particular direction. 

A snarl escaped from their mouths as they began to move toward the fresh blood bag.

Li Chen froze when he realized how easily the zombies had discovered him. He had tried hard not to make any noise, but he was still detected.

Without thinking too much about it, he sprang into action, running toward the huge hammer hung on the wall near him. 

Now that he had started cultivating, he could feel the slight change in his physique. 

With the change in his physique, his speed surged a bit, and he reached the hammer quickly.

 Picking up the hammer, he felt its heaviness, but at the moment, he didn't care.

One of the zombies was already on him, its head split into four, laced with jagged teeth.

Bang!

He swung the hammer, hitting the zombie's head, blasting it to pieces.

Huh!

He exhaled and looked at the mashed brain juice splattered on the ground. 

However, he didn't have time to care about it, looking at the four zombies already on him.

Bang! Bang!

He took out the four zombies with four strikes of his hammer. 

After the fourth strike, his breathing had become erratic, and beads of sweat gathered on his forehead.

"I guess I'm still weak," he muttered, trying to catch his breath.

Creak!

Just as he was catching his breath, he heard a sound from outside and raised his head.

 It was then he noticed two more zombies walking toward him.

"You need to get moving and be discreet about your hunting," Hera advised.

"Got it," he responded and searched for a suitable weapon. 

He walked toward a group of swords hung on the wall and picked a broadsword. 

He swung it a couple of times to get a feel for it in his hand and nodded. 

It was not as heavy as the hammer, and he could use the sword several times before getting exhausted. 

Moreover, the broad blade added a charm to it, making it more masculine.

After choosing his weapon, he looked at the newly arrived zombies with slight anticipation.

 The two zombies growled and increased their speed toward him, only to meet Li Chen's sword.

 With a decisive swing, he cleaved their heads off their shoulders, and their heads rolled a few feet on the ground.

"Hmm. You're getting the hang of it," Hera commended.

"Thank you."

With all the zombies dealt with, he needed to move to the next action: getting the crystal out of their hearts. 

Quickly, he searched for a dagger and found one on the weapon rack. 

Walking to the first zombie, he knelt down and took a deep breath before cutting deep into its chest. 

However, instead of finding a heart, he found a small red pulsating crystal.

"Hera, did their hearts turn into this crystal?"

"Yes. What you have in your hand is the first transformation."

"I guess there will be more transformations in the future."

"Indeed, there will be more."

With Hera's confirmation, he did not dwell on the matter any longer and focused on getting the red crystals from the zombies. 

After two minutes, he was done with it. He searched the ground for a pouch and found one.

 The Wild Goose Commerce Chamber was the biggest chamber in the region. 

Thus, they had everything a cultivator needed.

 Even though the ground floor was only meant to display the weakest and most common weapons and accessories, right now, they all came in handy.

Hanging the pouch on his waist, he was now ready to set out for his hunt.

"How many crystals do I need to become a Level 1 Warrior?"

"I can't say, but at the least, you will need fifty red crystals."

"Fifty, huh!" He mused, his eyes flashing with determination. 

He had two goals to accomplish. One was to break through to Level 1 Warrior, and the other was to choose his territory. 

Right now, he placed the choice of choosing his territory at the back of his mind. 

Without proper strength, he wouldn't be able to defend his territory if he had one now.

With that, he stepped out of the Wild Goose Chamber into the eerily quiet street. 

Li Chen gripped his weapon tightly, his eyes darting right and left for any sight of zombies.

 Holding his breath, he continued forward with firm determination. 

After walking for a couple of meters, he encountered a zombie in a maid outfit. 

Her hands and mouth were still covered in fresh blood. She looked at Li Chen and growled for another delicious meal. 

Quickly, she moved toward him, her head splitting apart.

Whoosh!

However, the delicious meal she expected never came, only for her head to be separated from her body. 

Li Chen clicked his tongue and expertly used his dagger to remove the red crystal.

"More are coming," Hera said.

"I can sense that."

Coming out of a building were a group of zombies in commoner clothes and Kunlun Sword Sect disciple robes.

"Let's get the party started," he muttered and rushed toward the zombies.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

He hacked the sword up and down without any skill or technique, but against the brainless zombies, that was enough to do the job.

Meanwhile, inside the village, Guiyin watched Li Chen battle the zombies in amazement.

"Do you know what he's doing?" Guiyin asked her maid, Na.

"I don't know…but I think he is a fool for fighting such vile things," Na responded with slight mockery in her voice.

"I guess so…"

On the ground, Li Chen was about to rejoice as he killed the last two zombies when a middle-aged man with a bald head appeared. 

Li Chen did not think too much about him and hacked the two zombies before him into two. 

He was ready to deliver his finishing slash to the bald middle-aged man when his bald head ripped open and a terrifying viper head shot toward him.