Chương 187: Chapter 112: HP Lock?

Bruno swung his crowbar, smashing it heavily against the zombie's basketball-sized fist! Immediately after, the crowbar in his hand grazed past his own cheek and flew out behind him... His fingers, palm, elbow, and even his entire arm instantly lost all sensation, as if they had vanished into thin air! The fist smashed into his shoulder, the immense force sending his entire body flying... Bruno crashed onto the ground.

He tried to push himself up with his left hand but fell back down, feeling an agonizing, shredding pain in his internal organs as if they were being sliced apart! In his daze, he saw that his right arm had twisted into an indescribable mess of mangled flesh, hanging from his shoulder like a torn rag... Even his seemingly intact legs and left arm were completely devoid of strength!

"... What kind of zombie is this..." He had killed five mutated zombies, but not a single one possessed this kind of power. This... this wasn't a monster a human could contend with!

"Impossible... just one punch, how is it possible..." Blood continuously welled up from Bruno's mouth and nose; his life was slipping away along with the hot, crimson fluid. Watching the monster emerge from the first-floor balcony, slowly walking toward him while supporting itself with its arms, and catching sight of the approaching zombies in his peripheral vision, Bruno remembered the scene when he first faced that monstrous-strength zombie... Suddenly, a strange palpitation struck his chest.

Bruno's eyes widened. He only felt an endless, blood-red mist spreading across his vision. An incomprehensible, chaotic emotion originating from the deepest depths of his soul erupted like a volcano... A surging tide of thoughts instantly washed away his consciousness, but his body suddenly activated some sort of ability! The blood continuously flowing from his mouth and nose stopped, and strength seemed to return to this body. Like a wild beast, "Bruno" rolled over and scrambled up.

Hunched over, he clenched his only remaining left fist, his blood-red eyes staring dead at the Giant-Armed Zombie! The Giant-Armed Zombie remained entirely unmoved, continuing to walk toward him step by step. Once its energy was fully recovered, the Giant-Armed Zombie raised an arm and smashed it toward "Bruno," who had entered its attack range! Seemingly sensing the lethal danger hidden within this punch, "Bruno" violently pushed off with both legs, darting to the side and dodging the perilous strike.

The Giant-Armed Zombie's fist smashed into the ground, instantly producing several muffled thuds from the paving stones! Thud! Thud! Thud! Several rings of cracks spread to beneath "Bruno's" feet before he snapped his head down to look, but he was a step too late! One of his feet, caught in the shockwave, instantly twisted and fractured, exposing the stark white bone within his shoe! Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

But strangely, not a single drop of blood flowed from such a horrific laceration!

"Hah—""Bruno" let out a hoarse shriek and leaped violently, putting even more distance between himself and the Giant-Armed Zombie. His blood-red eyes hesitated for a moment, then he decisively turned and bolted in a specific direction! It was as if he had lost his sense of pain. He let his mangled foot strike the ground; even having lost a foot and an arm, with his internal organs nearly shredded to pieces, some powerful life force within his body continued to propel him forward!

Even though he was currently driven only by a beast-like instinct, he vaguely knew that direction was his only hope for survival!...

"Hah—!" Hearing a bizarre roar echoing from the distance—one that sounded less like a zombie and more like some sort of wild beast—Vince spoke:"You guys adapt as needed. If there's a mutated zombie, stay far away..." With that, Vince pulled out his heavy spear and advanced toward the source of the sound. He hadn't gone far before he saw a bizarre silhouette dart out from behind a distant building! [62/350]... A purplish-red border, a yellow Health Bar—it was Bruno!

But his Energy Bar had already dropped by half, leaving only [22/70], and it was continuing to drop at a rate of one point per second! And as his energy value dropped, his HP was actually steadily increasing at a rate of one point per second!

"Why does he only have sixty HP left?" Vince frowned, watching the distant silhouette. Although he was far away, his running posture already made Vince instinctively uncomfortable...

"Is this... his ability?" It was like a human body mimicking a wild beast. The distant "Bruno" was running toward him in a highly unnatural posture. If his Health Bar hadn't been yellow, Vince would have thought he had turned into a zombie.

"What happ..." Before Vince could even finish, he saw another towering silhouette turn the corner from behind the distant building! This one was even more familiar than the last... Arms reaching the ground, over two meters tall, a mutated zombie with a glaring [1998/2000] floating above its head! It was none other than the Giant-Armed Zombie with the Impact ability! Good stuff... I mean, a tough enemy!

Looking at the normal zombies swarming around the Giant-Armed Zombie, Vince figured out what had happened with just a little thought. Bruno must have somehow run into this Giant-Armed Zombie while leading the other zombies around. He might have even tried to fight it. But looking at the drop in their respective HP, Bruno had clearly almost thrown his life away...

"What kind of ability is this?" Vince asked the approaching Bruno, but as the man drew closer, Vince noticed something was wrong. One of Bruno's arms trailed behind him, flopping unnaturally as he ran; it was clearly a comminuted fracture. One of his feet had even split open through his shoe, revealing the white bone inside every time he forcefully stepped on the ground. Not only did he not react to Vince's words, but he also seemed entirely oblivious to Vince's presence, charging straight toward him!

"What is this, a half-zombie?" Watching Bruno charge forward blankly with lifeless eyes, Vince frowned. He leveled his heavy spear horizontally and equipped the [Strength Crystal]. God only knew if this was his skill or a precursor to suddenly turning into another mutated zombie, and Claire and the others were right behind him. Therefore, no matter what the "Bruno" before him was, neither he nor that Giant-Armed Zombie were getting past...

As Vince assumed his stance, ready to strike, the approaching Bruno seemed to sense something. His Energy Bar was instantly depleted, converting entirely into HP. His legs gave out, and carried by his momentum, he rolled right to Vince's feet, his eyes rolling back as he passed out... By this time, his HP had recovered to [84/350]...

"Holy shit, dude, don't play the victim here!" Looking at Bruno, who had simply passed out in front of him, Vince felt a mix of bewilderment and exasperation. What's going on, is it really a skill? HP lock? Your skill is just so you can run over to me? Watching the Giant-Armed Zombie drawing closer, Vince had no time to hesitate. Bruno's energy was completely empty; if he stayed lying there, he was dead meat! The heavy spear in his hand vanished instantly.

He grabbed Bruno by his intact arm, spun around, and—ignoring any potential damage he might cause the man—heaved him right up into the branches of a nearby large willow tree!

"Since your luck is this good, let's hope your ancestors bless you so you don't fall off!" With a mental command, the "Unnamed" heavy spear reappeared in Vince's hands. He assumed his stance, and the spear's bladed tip began to vibrate slightly, emitting a faint, almost imperceptible humming sound. When the energy was charged to its peak and the blade's vibration became visible to the naked eye, looking as if it might burst at any moment, Vince dashed forward several steps.

Ignoring the normal zombies lunging at him from the side, he swung his heavy spear, smashing it straight toward the incoming fist of the Giant-Armed Zombie!