"The sky is blue,
The sea runs deep,
And my love for you is tender and true..."
In high spirits, Meng Hao began to hum a cheerful tune.
After several successful landings on deserted isles, he had grown experienced—there was no longer any fear or hesitation.
The environment, he mused, had a remarkable influence on one's mood.
This island, far from the oppressive dread of earlier ones, felt more like a tropical retreat.
Sunlight, soft sands, the rhythmic crash of waves...
All that was missing were bikini-clad beauties.
He even considered placing his inflatable doll on the beach—it might pass for a charming centerpiece.
Moving through a grove of coconut palms, Meng Hao spotted a patch of dense shrubs ahead. Beyond it stretched a bare, grassy field.
From here, the view was wide and unobstructed—he could take in the island's entire layout.
One, two, three…
Five zombies wandered the terrain, scattered roughly two to three hundred meters apart.
This sparse distribution was likely the game's protective measure for beginners—ensuring they'd only face one zombie at a time, thus boosting survival rates.
Even a well-equipped player like Meng Hao might only attract two at most.
Yet this mechanic now became a nuisance—it hampered his plan to lure multiple zombies without firing a shot.
Crude though it was, he opted for a safer method.
He picked up a stone, summoned all his strength, and hurled it far across the grass.
Clack!
The stone skipped across the ground with a series of crisp bounces, drawing the attention of a lone zombie.
Then Meng Hao shouted, loud and clear:
"Hey! You! Over here!"
The zombie hesitated for three seconds. Once it registered the provocation, fury overtook its blank expression.
How dare a feeble human act so arrogantly?
Roar!
With a guttural howl, it charged, claws bared, shrieking in rage.
The others glanced in its direction but remained still—Meng Hao had stayed outside their detection range.
Shame.
Still, Meng Hao remained composed. Calm. Unshaken.
The distance between them: 200 meters.
A Tier-1 zombie could cover that in about 20 seconds.
He was only 100 meters from the landing bridge.
As the zombie began to sprint, Meng Hao turned and jogged, keeping pace just enough to maintain its interest.
Time for a word problem:
If a zombie runs at 10 meters per second for 300 meters, and Meng Hao is only 100 meters away from safety, how fast must he run to survive?
Answer: Doesn't matter. The zombie won't catch him.
A regular human might barely reach 10 meters per second. But Meng Hao had consumed genetic enhancers—his physical attributes had surged.
Now a Tier-1 warrior, he hadn't tested his speed, but it surely exceeded 10 m/s.
His only concern now was keeping the zombie's attention.
He slowed intentionally, shouting as he ran, luring the creature straight to the bridge.
He stepped onto the landing platform, accelerated, and breezed past the goblin guardian onto the base island.
"Big guy! You're up!"
Taking a defensive position, Meng Hao readied his 98K with a 2x scope—just in case.
If the guardian failed, he'd be ready.
The goblin, spear in hand, stood motionless—expression blank, silent as stone.
Then the zombie reached the bridge.
In a flash, the guardian's demeanor transformed.
Eyes sharpened. Back straightened. Legs planted wide. He stood like an iron bastion.
As the zombie snarled and lunged, the goblin advanced a single step—his presence exploding with raw, focused battle intent.
His spear glinted in the sun, his gaze fierce. He was no longer passive—he was a weapon unsheathed.
The zombie roared again, twisted with rage and madness.
Perhaps it saw the goblin as prey, or worse—fuel for evolution.
Roar!
It leapt—claws extended.
Boom!
The spear pierced the air with a screech.
Thud!
–50 HP!
The weapon sank deep into the zombie's chest, dark blood spurting, a foul stench rising.
Unmoved, the guardian wrenched the spear free—then struck again.
Thud!
–50 HP!
Two blows. That's all it took. The zombie collapsed.
Compared to the goblin, the undead seemed pitifully weak.
His attack stat: 35 + 15. Total: 50.
The zombie? No armor. No resistance.
[+1 Zombie Crystal Coin]
[Ding! God-Tier Luck Triggered. Reward Multiplied 100x.]
[+100 Zombie Crystal Coins]
The zombie's corpse, along with its blood, was automatically absorbed by the Zombie Furnace—no mess, no contamination.
Behind the guardian, Meng Hao lowered his rifle, grinning ear to ear.
"Nice! That was flawless!"
He hadn't expected such efficiency—two precise strikes, no retaliation.
Of course, the goblin was designed to be powerful.
Opening the barracks required 100 zombie coins—a task that would take a normal player 50 islands to achieve, assuming 2 coins per island after upgrade costs.
Under standard progression, goblin guardians wouldn't appear until far later.
But Meng Hao? He unlocked them on day one.
With one guardian produced every hour, his army would steadily grow.
Soon, his island would become an impregnable fortress.
"You're a beast, big guy!"
He strode over, slapped the goblin's solid shoulder, and praised him heartily.
Now expressionless again, the guardian looked more like a gentle giant than the war machine from moments ago.
"Alright, you hold this spot. I'll go lure another."
With a swagger in his step, Meng Hao marched back toward the wild island.
With goblin guardians at his side, slaying the undead had become brutally simple.
Delightfully so.