Apocalypse: I Can See the HP Bar, Killing Monsters Drops Loot

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry,” he said. “Probably… in a day or two, I’ll come back and take you to the Suize Survivor Base.”

After observing for a couple of days, Wang Tao felt the Shuize Base was alright. At least he had no problem living there.

Once his status as a committee member was secured and he became one of the top people of the base, he would go and bring Ding Yuqin over.

Of course, even without that status, Wang Tao wouldn’t be greatly affected, as he had always relied on his own strength. But certainly, the status would make things much more convenient, so he decided to wait another couple of days.

“Okay, I’ll wait for you at home!”

After chatting a few more words with Ding Yuqin, Wang Tao took the initiative to end the call.

“The Rush Right Arm is ready, and I’ve got an update on the situation with Yu Qin; I might as well take a trip to the Borui Clinic while I’m at it—it’s not far from here. Hopefully, I’ll encounter a lone special zombie on the way…”

Mapping out his next steps, Wang Tao picked up his weapon and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, his ears twitched.

“There’s noise upstairs!”

Wang Tao quickly hid in a corner, eyeing the mail’s staircase intently.

About a dozen seconds later, a sneaky-looking figure emerged from the top of the stairs.

In his hand, he held a baseball bat with nails sticking out, cautiously making his way to the first floor. Above his head, a green HP bar read [115/115].

“A survivor?”

Wang Tao frowned.

He had thought it was a zombie at first, but to his surprise, it was a human.

Seeing the man clutching the spiked baseball bat and searching around, Wang Tao got the feeling the man was up to no good.

“His behavior makes it clear he’s seen me. Since I haven’t left the mall, he must either have cameras, or he saw me killing zombies in the square earlier…”

Wang Tao glanced at the first floor ceiling of the mall—there were some cameras, but in some areas, the wires were cut, and there was no electricity in the mall, so it was highly unlikely that the surveillance was working.

Wang Tao guessed the man must have seen him killing the zombies.

If this person meant him no harm, Wang Tao thought, he should have called out to him after coming down, not stealthily seeking him with a weapon in hand.

“Who knows what he wants to do—capturing him will tell!”

Wang Tao never minded assuming the worst about others, especially in this post-apocalyptic world. It’s always better to be too cautious.

As the man inched towards him, Wang Tao placed a small mirror on the ground. Then, he stood behind the wall, unmoving.

Through the mirror, Wang Tao watched the man approach closer and closer, until he was just around the corner from him. Suddenly, Wang Tao burst out from his hiding spot behind the man, grasped his neck, and snatched his weapon away.

“Ugh…”

The man’s eyes bulged in shock and fear. He tried to reach for Wang Tao’s arms, his body flailing wildly, feet kicking in panic.

But he felt as if he were clamped in a vice—no form of struggle helped; the more he thrashed, the tighter the hold.

Just as his vision began to darken, the grip on his neck vanished.

“Cough cough… hah… cough cough…”

With no support, the man instantly collapsed to his knees, retching while holding his throat.

However, before he could catch his breath, a large hand suddenly appeared, grabbed his collar, and hoisted him up.

Confronted by a man dressed in a Black Combat Suit, his face hidden behind a skull mask and yellow glasses, towering over one meter eighty and built like a tank, the terrified man almost wet himself.

“Cough cough… don’t kill me… cough cough… I…”

Wang Tao, with his other hand, waved the man’s baseball bat in front of him and said in an indifferent tone,

“What were you trying to do? Ambush me?”

“No… not at all! I didn’t even know there was someone here…”

The man hastily explained.

However, Wang Tao’s expression turned grim upon hearing this.

The man had clearly spotted him yet tried to hide it? This person was definitely up to no good!

Wang Tao prodded the man’s chest with the bottom of the baseball bat.

“Uh—ah—”

The man’s face turned ghastly pale instantly, tears streaming uncontrollably.

Back when Wang Tao was a Martial Arts Substitute, he met masters skilled in cold weapons, which naturally included sticks and batons.

One master said that in real combat, swinging a bat is not the best move for beginners. The bat is generally long and thus slow to swing, easy to dodge, and given limited human strength, a hit wouldn’t cause much damage.

But “jabbing” was different. A hard jab to an enemy’s chest, unless they’re professionally trained or protected by gear, could leave few people standing.

Wang Tao had never actually fought before, and his actions in films were all choreographed, so he had no real combat experience. Now, trying it out, he could only say that the master was indeed a master; even a slight jab proved unbearable for his opponent.

“I’m asking you one more time, why did you try to ambush me?”

Wang Tao parked his car outside the square—the mail’s location shouldn’t allow visibility of his car. When he came to kill zombies, he didn’t carry much else. So, to any survivors inside the mall, he must have looked like an ordinary person with little supplies. There seemed to be no reason for anyone to ambush him… Wang Tao was puzzled, so he wanted answers.

“I, I really didn’t… didn’t intend to ambush you….”