The bullet slid swiftly into the chamber, the dark barrel of the rifle locking onto the third zombie.
It was already perilously close—so near that aiming was scarcely necessary.
In truth, Meng Hao had no time to aim; he simply raised his weapon and fired.
Bang!
-100HP!
The third zombie collapsed.
Staring at the mangled corpse less than five meters away, a cold sweat broke across Meng Hao's brow.
These creatures moved with terrifying speed.
Had that final shot missed, there would've been no time for a second.
It dawned on him then—the 98K, formidable as it was, proved most effective at long range.
Once a zombie drew close, the rifle might be no better than a common axe.
Meng Hao drew a deep breath, forcing down the tremor of unease in his chest.
He could only hope the next weapon he found would be suited to close-quarters combat.
[Zombie melted. +2 Zombie Crystals.]
[Ding! God-tier Luck Activated: Rewards multiplied by 100.]
[+200 Zombie Crystals]
In the heat of the battle, he hadn't even checked the spoils.
Three zombies down—thanks to the divine luck system, he'd earned a staggering 300 crystals.
At such an early stage, few could possibly match that kind of gain.
Though the encounter had been fraught with danger, the rewards were undeniably rich.
"Time to loot the treasure chest."
He had noticed a chest earlier on the island, but it had been guarded by the undead—until now.
With the threat neutralized, he wasted no time seizing his spoils.
[Sandalwood Chest Discovered. Open?]
"Open."
The chest creaked open automatically, revealing three humble items:
A bucket of instant noodles, a bottle of mineral water, and a box of matches.
A grin broke across Meng Hao's face.
At last—food.
On an uninhabited island, survival supplies were paramount. Now with noodles, water, and matches in hand, at least today's hunger could be tamed.
[Ding! God-tier Luck Activated: Rewards multiplied by 100.]
Choose your multiplied reward:
100 buckets of instant noodles, 100 bottles of mineral water, 100 boxes of matches.
10 pounds of beef, 10 cans of Red Bull, one lighter.
The golden system prompt appeared once again.
Though the beef was certainly more nutritious, instant noodles were far more practical here.
Not to mention, 100 buckets made for an overwhelming supply.
The bottled water—100 in total—was unquestionably more valuable than 10 cans of Red Bull.
Besides, Red Bull only left you thirstier. Clearly not ideal for survival.
The only real regret was forgoing the lighter.
Matches could be rendered useless by moisture. Lighters had no such weakness.
Still, Meng Hao planned to keep the matches in his storage ring—waterproof and secure.
And even if some did get wet, he had a hundred boxes.
Without hesitation, he selected the first option.
Instantly, all 100 buckets of noodles, bottles of water, and boxes of matches vanished into his storage ring.
With a flick of thought, he retrieved a bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls.
The island was stiflingly hot, and the salty sea breeze drained moisture from the body at an alarming rate.
Now that he finally had access to water, Meng Hao drank without reserve.
Another player might have rationed it carefully, treating it like a precious lifeline.
But Meng Hao had no such concerns. Truthfully, he worried more about it expiring before he could finish it all.
After downing over half the bottle, he stored the rest and hefted his 98K once more.
Half the island still lay shrouded in fog. Who knew what might be lurking there?
For safety—and potential treasure—he needed to explore it.
Perhaps another hidden chest awaited.
After a brief rest, Meng Hao crept toward the misted half of the island with rifle in hand.
As he advanced, the fog seemed to retreat, dissipating rapidly.
Soon, the landscape stretched wide and open before him.
Concealed behind a large tree, he scanned the newly revealed terrain.
Two zombies wandered the opposite beach in a slow, mindless drift, seemingly unaware of his presence.
"D*mn, five zombies on the very first island? How are those poor souls with wooden sticks supposed to survive?"
He couldn't help but think of the other players—likely armed with only primitive weapons—and feel a twinge of sympathy.
Even with a 98K, the pressure was immense. Those wielding nothing more than sticks were probably already in despair.
Fortunately, the five undead seemed to patrol separate areas, giving players a chance to isolate and defeat them.
Still, it would drastically prolong the time needed to conquer the island.
Shaking away these thoughts, Meng Hao settled into a stable shooting position and raised his rifle.
No point worrying about others—first, he would clear this island.
He aimed at one zombie's head through the 2x scope.
The distance was considerable; the scope wasn't ideal.
An 8x scope would've made things so much easier.
He estimated the range at around 500 meters. Thankfully, per game mechanics, the undead couldn't hear his shots.
These two would serve as live targets for marksmanship practice.
Bang!Bang!Bang!
-100HP!
Three shots later, one zombie crumpled.
At this range, the 2x scope was practically useless.
Bullets were precious—every missed shot was a loss. Three rounds for one zombie? Wasteful.
He needed to close the gap.
Cradling his rifle, Meng Hao silently crept toward the final zombie.
500 meters… 400… 350… 300…
At 200 meters, he dropped behind a rock.
Now, the 2x scope could lock on to the creature's bulky frame with clarity.
"No, still too far. I need to get closer."
Only one zombie remained. No need to worry about being swarmed.
Emboldened by the thought of players with only clubs, Meng Hao pressed forward.
At least he didn't have to fight in melee.
100 meters… 75… 50…
He stopped.
Now the scope framed the zombie's head perfectly.
Its grotesque face was expressionless, its cheeks split open to reveal rotting crimson-black flesh. Razor-sharp fangs pierced through decaying lips, exposed to the open air—a monstrous sight.
At this distance, there was no chance of missing.
Bang!
-100HP!
A single shot to the head. The zombie fell instantly.
[+2 Zombie Crystals][Ding! God-tier Luck Activated: Rewards multiplied by 100.][+200 Zombie Crystals][Congratulations, player. All zombies eliminated. Uninhabited island successfully claimed.][Devour island to upgrade base. Proceed with devouring?]