Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 53 - 52: Silencer

Chapter 53: Chapter 52: Silencer

The rider Shana had a bellyful of dissatisfaction with Lin Wu, secretly playing spiteful tricks. She tore along the road with sudden breaks and turns to dodge zombies, forcing Lin Wu to cling desperately to her backpack.

Arriving near their destination, the motorcycle screeched to a sudden stop. After Lin Wu got off, he felt dizzy and his vision swam. He leaned against the motorcycle, heaving dryly, and finally lay down on the grass, feigning death. This condition was not a result of system damage, so recovery was swift, with no lingering aftereffects.

Shana was hoping to have a laugh, but several zombies drawn by the noise were already creeping up. Shana had no choice but to adopt the usual tactic of fighting while retreating. Lin Wu leaned limply to the side to watch the excitement, having no desire to move at all. He couldn’t care less about dying from the motion sickness, much less about Shana’s fate.

By the time Lin Wu managed to stand up, Shana had just finished her tussle with four zombies. Lin Wu didn’t want to talk; he gestured to Shana to keep silent, ran to the side to draw the four zombies toward him, and pulled a water pipe from his weapon rack.

Lin Wu ran about ten meters, luring the zombies to the farm fence, and waited on the other side. As the zombies tumbled over, Lin Wu struck their heads with the pipe, seized the opportunity to vault back over, and after a bit of back-and-forth, all four zombies’ heads were bashed in. Lin Wu looted the bodies while eyeing Shana: Got it?

Shana had to admit she had never thought of using the fence tactic, and she nodded helplessly.

The two walked to the bridge and saw at a glance a tent and a pile of campfire remnants on the elevated platform, but no people were in sight. On the riverbank below the platform, two Screeching Zombies led a group of about a dozen zombies roaming nearby.

Shana was just about to ask why they had been observing for so long when Lin Wu made a silencing gesture, listening intently. The cursed sound of water flow prevented Lin Wu from determining if a Frenzy was lurking nearby. After listening for a moment, "Two plans, you could lure the zombies away while I raid the tent but... how tall are you?"

Shana puffed out her chest, "One meter seventy-three."

Lin Wu observed the elevated platform for a while, "Okay, one meter seventy-three should be tall enough to reach the platform with a stone’s boost."

Shana asked weakly, "What about one meter sixty-eight?"

"Hard to say," Lin Wu replied, "depends on the jumping ability."

Shana asked, "And the other plan?"

Lin Wu answered, "You take the left, I’ll take the right. We’ll deal with the two Screeching Zombies together, then take out the other zombies one by one. I’m worried though, I think I heard a Frenzy."

Shana asked, "Is that the zombie on all fours wandering around near the commercial street?"

Lin Wu nodded, "That’s right. You head to the left, and if you see a Frenzy, or it chases you, run straight back to the other side of the river. I’ll handle the Frenzy. Strange, where’s the jeep? The clues also mentioned a jeep."

Shana said, "We passed a few player bases. If there was a jeep on the road, it’s likely they’ve taken it already."

Lin Wu felt this made sense, "Let’s get to work."

...

The two split up, wading down the gentle slope into the river from the bank, crossing the water, and slowly approaching the two Screeching Zombies in an arc. The water wasn’t deep, just about half a meter, and they were about 20 meters apart from each other, exchanging glances. Without a clear opportunity for a direct attack, Lin Wu crouched down stealthily. This squat was uncomfortably chilling, submerging his entire backside into the water. On the other side, Shana, infected by Lin Wu’s foolhardy spirit, squatted down as well, immediately standing back up. She looked back at Lin Wu, who, too proud to show discomfort, endured the chill, soaking in the water.

About 15 seconds later, Lin Wu had moved one meter, raising his hand to signal to Shana. Shana had only moved half a meter and waved her hand to indicate she wasn’t sure about dealing with the Screeching Zombie just yet. She needed a better moment for a decisive strike.

Lin Wu had his hand perpetually raised, a type who could single-handedly retrieve the enemy commander’s head amidst a throng of soldiers. While observing the zombies, he also kept an eye on Shana. After waiting for about a minute, Shana finally raised her hand as well, and both simultaneously lunged at the Screeching Zombie.

Lin Wu had no problem; he could take down a Screecher in just half a second. Shana faced more trouble; she had to kick down the Screecher before she could execute it, and the whole process took 4 seconds. Fortunately, Shana knew her strengths, managed to take down the Screecher successfully, and retreated before the zombies could encircle her. Just at that moment, a Fierce Corpse stood at the edge of the bridge overhead, howled, and leaped from the five-meter-high structure straight down towards Shana.

This was Shana’s first encounter with a Fierce Corpse; previously, she had somewhat scoffed at Lin Wu’s cautiousness. After one exchange, Shana finally understood the ferocity of Fierce Corpses. According to Shana’s understanding, Mutant Zombies were either strong, agile, or had various special abilities. In reality, that wasn’t the case; great strength and high agility were the basic attributes of most Mutant Zombies Lin Wu had encountered.

This swipe tore a chunk of flesh from Shana before she could feel the pain; the Fierce Corpse’s second strike was already upon her. After a firm grasp, its sharp fangs bit down. As soon as the Fierce Corpse appeared, Lin Wu plunged into the water, swam furiously downstream, and in a few strokes, he was only 13 meters from Shana. Lin Wu pulled out the Eagle Sand. Activating Quick Gunner with a 25% chance, he managed to blow the Fierce Corpse’s head off with a single shot.

After the Fierce Corpse was dead, the nearby zombies had already closed in. Seeing Lin Wu desperately running towards her, Shana was moved and, disregarding the need for bandages, endured the tremendous pain, fended off the zombies with a bat, and bought time for Lin Wu who was coming to her aid.

Lin Wu, upon reaching Shana, dispatched several zombies with Wind Stinger, leapt up, and firmly grabbed the Fierce Corpse’s body that was on the verge of drifting away.

Lin Wu floated with the current, rummaging through the Fierce Corpse, and shouted back, "Run, you fool." Lin Wu didn’t have the capability to face six zombies head-on either.

Couldn’t you lend a hand?

You won’t die in a minute, but a corpse will be gone in a minute. What does a Fierce Corpse represent? It stands for a Skill Book. Well, even though this Fierce Corpse didn’t have a Skill Book, you never know until you try, right?

A few minutes later, Lin Wu, in coordination with Shana, annihilated all the zombies. Shana, panting heavily, looked at Lin Wu: "Do you want to say something?"

Lin Wu responded with a smile, "Don’t mention it. Heal yourself first; I’ll check things out."

Shana was speechless on the spot, but her arm truly hurt. After applying a bandage, not only did the pain immediately subside, but as she healed, the dropped life points slowly restored to their maximum.

Lin Wu, at a height of 1.8 meters, jumped up and flipped onto the mezzanine. There were no bones on the mezzanine, and inside the tent, in a clear spot, lay a long box. Lin Wu opened the box and found a rifle inside, named the Silencer S2. Accompanied by a note: An iconic modified gun from the hands of a Post-apocalyptic Survival Master.

The gun had eight specifications. ’Damage’ indicates the lethality, which is directly proportional to the caliber. ’Accuracy’ specifically refers to firearms equipped with scopes. ’Control’ represents the impact of recoil and the accuracy during continuous firing. ’Rate of Fire’ is just that, the higher the value, the more bullets fired in the same amount of time. ’Range’ represents the effective killing distance; for example, for a small pistol, the effective distance is 40 meters, and beyond that, the damage will decrease, up to a 90% reduction. Bullets vanish after exceeding twice the effective range, that is, 80 meters.

’Durability’—most firearms have durability and can be repaired at a workbench. The lower the durability, the higher the chance of jamming. Without skill support, it takes 15 seconds to clear a jam. When the durability of a firearm drops to zero, the gun breaks or shatters and can no longer be repaired. ’Capacity’ refers to the number of bullets in a magazine; under normal circumstances without skill enhancements, it takes 4 seconds to reload. ’Silent’—the higher the value, the quieter the sound, and vice versa.

The Silencer is a bolt-action rifle, requiring the bolt to be cycled before chambering each bullet. The system didn’t specify the time needed for chambering.

The Silencer uses the smallest caliber, the .22 bullet, with lethality shockingly low, akin to a small pistol. Without a headshot, emptying a magazine might not even kill a single zombie. Accuracy is 95 points, equipped with a six-fold scope. Control is 90 points, virtually recoilless. Bolt-action rifles don’t have a ’Rate of Fire’ specification. The magazine can hold a maximum of 30 rounds.

The biggest feature of this rifle is its silence. Without a suppressor, it scores 76 points, quieter than a small pistol. With a suppressor, it can reach 95 points, affecting only a 2.5-meter diameter area around the shooter. Suppressors can be crafted at the workbench, and their durability varies according to the level. Even without a suppressor, a score of 76 for silence is impressive, affecting only a 12-meter diameter area.

The advantages and disadvantages of this gun are very clear. The advantages are its silence, accuracy, and use of .22 bullets. The disadvantage is the lack of lethality and firepower. In a defensive situation, its utility is far less than that of a small pistol.

This was the first long gun at Shadow Base. Although lacking in power, its distinct characteristics left Shana in constant amazement.

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