Chapter 2: Talent Cards and Legacy

"Quite clever." Brother Hu glanced at Song Yu with admiration and offered a compliment.

Once the system's task was announced, the three of them reached a silent consensus; none had any intention of remaining in the hospital to continue searching. If they wanted medical supplies, wouldn't the task rewards provide them? While one person's reward might not be enough, the combined rewards of three people would certainly suffice for one.

"You, get to the front!" Brother Hu barked menacingly at Skinny. Though unwilling, Skinny knew all the weapons were in Brother Hu's hands, leaving him no choice.

The hospital ward building where they were located was not far from the main gate, and the open area outside was clear of zombies. Escaping the hospital through the main entrance was the best strategy. The three headed toward the stairwell, with Skinny in the lead, Song Yu in the middle, and Brother Hu bringing up the rear.

Song Yu walked quietly, using the windows to observe the terrain. They were on the third floor, which was not very high—a piece of good news. As they reached the corner of the stairs, they could clearly see several zombies wandering the second-floor corridor. Players had status panels, and naturally, so did the zombies. None of those zombies had less than 100 HP.

Without turning her head, Song Yu glanced at Brother Hu behind her. He only had seven arrows left for his crossbow. Assuming one arrow dealt 30 damage, he could kill at most two zombies. Furthermore, the Skinny guy in front of her seemed restless, clearly plotting something. Song Yu had not forgotten that Skinny’s talent was "Sprinter," which increased speed, and neither had Brother Hu.

"These zombies are very slow. It shouldn't be hard for the three of us to take them down," Song Yu whispered.

It was indeed not difficult, but it would require the three of them to work together and take certain risks. However, the three of them... were completely disjointed.

Brother Hu pursed his lips and suddenly kicked Skinny! Compared to the potential threat of Skinny, Song Yu was much easier to control. With two men present, it was only natural to prioritize neutralizing one. Skinny stumbled from the kick and tumbled down the stairs! Immediately, the nearby zombies were drawn to the noise.

Brother Hu was sacrificing others to save himself. "Move!" he urged, calling for Song Yu. Taking advantage of the zombies being distracted by Skinny, he bolted down the stairs. Song Yu followed closely behind, her heart sinking.

Zombies were slow during the day and their attack power was not particularly high. Coupled with his talent, Skinny managed to break out of the zombie encirclement after receiving only two scratches! Because Brother Hu possessed the crossbow and a dagger, Skinny dared not run ahead of him, so Song Yu, the only woman, became the target.

As she fled frantically, Song Yu was suddenly yanked backward and slammed hard onto the ground! At this moment, she had no time to worry about anything else; she scrambled up, ignoring the wound on her knee, and quickened her pace. Because of Skinny’s blunder, all the zombies in front of the building had been drawn over.

The zombies followed closely behind them in a dense mass. Seeing the sheer number of zombies, Brother Hu’s expression darkened. He didn't hesitate to aim his crossbow at Song Yu, who was at the rear! He wanted to sacrifice her to buy himself time to escape. While he would have preferred to kill Skinny, it was Song Yu who had been the most vulnerable.

Song Yu had been monitoring the two men ahead, and Brother Hu’s move was within her expectations. The moment he turned around, she veered off in a different direction, deliberately falling a step behind to draw the zombies closer to them. Brother Hu’s arrow missed, and he burned with hatred toward her, but there was no time for a second shot.

The horde of zombies split into two waves: one following Song Yu, and one following Brother Hu and Skinny. In terms of speed, Brother Hu was no match for Skinny.

Song Yu ran for her life, pushing herself to the fastest speed she had ever achieved. She wasn't running aimlessly; soon, a row of trees and a perimeter wall appeared before her. She lunged forward, leaped onto a tree, scrambled over the wall, and vaulted to the other side, landing steadily.

"Player has completed the side quest. Reward issued; please collect it at your earliest convenience."

Escaping the encirclement, Song Yu didn't stop to rest. She followed the wall and quickly made her way to the hospital entrance. The area was empty, and the iron gate was locked tight. Brother Hu and Skinny had not yet managed to escape. Without Song Yu, and with the zombie horde on their heels, the two men naturally tried to use each other as bait. The result was mutual destruction.

Hiding in the guardroom, Song Yu quietly observed the situation. The groans of the zombies grew closer, and she saw the wounded Brother Hu and Skinny. She held her breath and concealed herself.

Skinny, having reached the gate, squeezed his slender frame through a gap in the iron bars and grabbed a stone from the ground! Brother Hu followed close behind; lacking Skinny’s frame and a key, he had to climb over. The moment he landed, he was attacked by Skinny!

The two immediately became locked in a desperate struggle. Hiding in the guardroom, Song Yu gripped her small knife tightly. In the end, Brother Hu proved superior; his stamina and HP were greater than those of Song Yu and Skinny combined. However, Skinny’s desperate final stand had left Brother Hu heavily injured, as evidenced by his ragged breathing.

*Now!*

Song Yu erupted into action, rushing out of the guardroom and driving her knife deep into Brother Hu’s carotid artery. Instantly, blood gushed out. The zombies behind the gate pounded on the iron, making it sway precariously. Brother Hu turned in disbelief, unsure whether he was shocked that Song Yu was still alive or that she had the nerve to attack him.

It no longer mattered. He collapsed heavily to the ground. Song Yu remained expressionless, showing none of the typical reactions one might expect after killing a man. She knelt, swiftly gathered the cards, small bundles, crossbow, and arrows floating over the bodies of Brother Hu and Skinny, and turned to run.

The rusted gate would not hold much longer. True to her expectation, not long after she left, the gate collapsed with a crash, and all the zombies trapped inside were released. They greedily and frantically devoured the corpses, leaving nothing but bare bones in moments.

By then, Song Yu had successfully hidden in a civilian house near the hospital. Sitting on the floor, she gasped for air, trying to calm her racing heart as she took out the items from the two players.

[Common Talent Card: Use to gain LV1 Talent "Sprinter," Movement Speed +5]
[Common Talent Card: Use to gain LV1 Talent "Robust Physique," Stamina Cap +50, HP Cap +10]
[Player Chen Hu’s Legacy], [Player Lin Gang’s Legacy].

Killing players drops talents?! And they leave legacies?!