Chapter 11: Improvisation Part 3

I'm currently back at my barn working on my battle drone. The situation a few days ago shook me. It turns out that I can no longer get boosts from eating zombies no matter how many I ate. Well, the normal zombies perhaps. It turns out that I can still get some boosts. Just not on the ones I'm familiar with.

A few days earlier, I was confused, anxious, and a little afraid of the sudden turn of events. I was afraid that I may have reached my limit at an early date. If it is then all those planning to raid the mansion would be all for nothing…

I cannot accept this.

I grabbed my bag and stuffed it with my available supply of weaponry which was not that much. All I brought with me were my machete, 3 knives, and a few dozen scalpels. Whity saw me preparing and looked at me expectantly and I know that look…

As much as it pains me to do this but I have to refuse him this time. I gestured for him to stay. He looks a bit dejected but he didn't complain. What I'm about to do would require stealth and precision and Whity is not all those things yet. All I've ever taught him for the last couple of months is his combat prowess. I didn't teach him enough to be silent and deadly at the same time. Plus, bringing him with me would only make him a liability. He is just too big and noticeable. I also need him to protect our humble abode. Leaving together would leave our home unprotected since there is a possibility that we could get stolen. Zombies and those mutated monsters are not the only danger in this world. One or a few of those hanni might raid our place and steal some of our supplies. I know I haven't met at least one of them yet but it doesn't hurt to be more careful.

With my decision made, I went on my journey away from home. I looked back and saw Whity staring at me. I hope he can guard the place while I'm away. I waved at him goodbye and he let out a bark in return.

I turn away and resume my walk.

It took a while but I finally made it to the familiar open field of tall grasses. At the center of it, I could see a large amount of dried blood and a few large bones lying on the ground. Damn, those crawlers sure ate the Digger quite thoroughly. I grabbed my machete and surveyed my surroundings. My eyes roamed the field, looking for signs of any movement. I slowly made my way through. Those tall grasses have grown after the months passed by. The grasses are now at waist height. I feel like I'm crossing a wide ocean field. I was careful in my footsteps to avoid stepping on some unknown zombies lying on the ground…

For some time, my slow pace had been fruitful. I haven't encountered any enemies yet and through it all, I'm starting to see the familiar forest again. The den of those crawlers. My goal from the very start is to kill some of the crawlers and devour them.

The reason I went back to this wretched place is to confirm that I can still get those boosts. Now as for why I chose this place instead of the nearby town, those new ones I saw a few months back are still unknown to me. I didn't dare to approach the place yet since from what I observed from a distance, the number of those monsters had just increased by a hundredfold. They completely covered almost the entire town now. They must have increased a lot more now. Risking myself in that place just for a little test is simply idiotic. However, what I'm also doing now would also be considered similarly.

I crouched and hid behind a big tree when I got inside the forest. Around me is a large number of crawlers roaming the ground. Their pointy legs would pierce the ground as they roam their surrounding like a bunch of mindless insects. I held my machete tightly as I surveyed my current location. I only need a few of these things. About 1 or 2 of them at least. The last time I took a bite from one of their kind a few months ago, the boost was a little bit higher than the normal zombies. I sure hope at least that the perks I gained that day are still the same as now.

A few hours had passed but I remained in my position. I'm waiting for a lot of them to let down their guard but surprisingly, they appear to be quite cautious. They always walk by in groups and look around as if they're trying to find something. So they do have a semblance of intelligence…

Not a good sign. These past few hours of waiting are starting to annoy me a little. I tried to change my location but it appears that I'm surrounded. Everywhere I tried to go somewhere, I could a small group of them from a few distance. Some are on the ground while some of them are staying atop the trees. I can't risk getting caught. With their massive numbers, they will tear me limb from limb in seconds.

I looked at the sky and saw that the sun was about to set and a few minutes later, the place was shrouded in darkness by the night. The stars are blocked by the clouds and the moon can barely shine though so I can't see much with all this darkness. I could only see those a few feet from me and the looming darkness gave out an eerie feeling knowing that these creatures were roaming the place.

I looked at the nearby crawler and saw it starting to lie down. This got me a little curious as I noticed its companion also lying down on the ground. They closed themselves up, looking like a rock, and stopped moving.

Alright, this is quite a surprise. Looks like they are not so different from most animals huh? They needed sleep too. Soon enough, a lot of crawlers had done the same and decided to sleep. Alright, now is my chance.

I slowly move out of my hiding place and look for a spot where fewer crawlers are sleeping. It took a while but I finally found a spot. I'm currently at the top of the tree. Below me are 3 sleeping crawlers. I chose this place since it's far away from the lot of crawlers so even if I make a lot of noises, they wouldn't be able to hear me. In layman's terms, these three crawlers are sitting ducks waiting to be devoured.

I slowly make my way down and quickly strike the nearest crawler. My machete pierced its skin as my weapon cut it in half. Its two companions quickly woke up because of the piercing sound. They saw the other crawler's corpse in the ground in two pieces. They look at me and quickly start attacking me. I avoided their attack and retaliated in return by cutting the other crawler's leg. It howled in pain but it pushed the painful feeling aside and tried to pounce on me. I barely avoided it by rolling to the other side. I stood up and swung my machete in a sideway slay towards its neck. It didn't avoid my attack in time as my blade sliced its neck cleanly, making its head fly up high before it dropped to the ground.

Two down, one more to go. I lock my eyes to the last crawler. It ran towards me like a mad bull and hit me right in the chest. I was launched and crashed through a tree. The force of the impact left a mark on where I hit. I quickly got up and jumped up high, avoiding another one if it was a tackle. I landed on the ground with a roll and focused my eyes quickly on my opponent.

It looks toward me and prepares itself to tackle me again. I stood straight and took a deep breath. My chest rose up as I inhaled as much air as possible. The crawler screeched and ran at a speed higher than before.

Just a little bit closer…

Once it got close enough, I unleashed my black breath. A black liquid came out of my mouth and hit the crawler right in the face. The numerous corrosive bacteria in my black breath started to eat the flesh of the crawler. It screamed in agony as it rolled to the ground, trying to get the black liquid off him but it didn't work. With its last screech, it dropped to the ground.

The crawler lost most of its head. All that's left of it is the lower jaw. I saw smoke coming out from the black liquid signifying the death of those corrosive bacteria. I let out a relaxed sigh at my success. Three bodies of crawlers low lay at my feet. I started to walk my way towards them and took a good chunk of the nearest corpse's flesh.

Now for the moment of truth…