However, the panic in their hearts and the fact that their only path of retreat was blocked meant these people didn't even notice his cursing; they were only thinking about pushing open the Iron Gate and rushing into the safety of the Hotel.
The only security guard who had been holding back the zombies was now retreating repeatedly. The commotion caused by their noisy behavior had attracted more and more zombies to the Street, and by now, over a dozen had slowly appeared.
"Damn it! I'm done with you people!"
The security guard cursed angrily, turned around, and ran toward the distance. As long as he hid somewhere else, he could still ensure his own safety, but if he stayed here, he would definitely die.
"Lin Qi, hurry up and open the door! From now on, you'll be in charge of the Hotel. We'll all listen to you!"
"Damn it, open the door! The zombies are coming!"
Although the two zombies behind them were moving slowly, with no one blocking their path, they were getting closer and closer to the main entrance. In particular, the smell of blood on Director Wang's hands made the zombies even more agitated.
"Lin Qi! I order you to open the door immediately!"
Director Wang looked at Lin Qi with a resentful expression and resorted to his bureaucratic tone once again. This way of speaking had always been effective in the past, allowing him to intimidate others invisibly.
"I advise you all to run quickly. This fat man is bleeding, which will attract a large number of zombies. If you wait any longer, you will all die here!"
The sound of the gate shaking had already attracted the attention of nearby zombies. If left ignored, even if these people couldn't break through the Iron Gate, they would still draw zombies from several streets over. If there were any Mutated Zombies among them, the trouble would be even greater.
Sure enough, after hearing Lin Qi's words, some of them reacted immediately. They glanced back at the encroaching zombies and turned to flee into the distance.
Although the other rooms on the Street had already been searched and contained no Supplies, it was still much better than being piled up in front of the Hotel and torn apart by zombies.
In an instant, the entrance to the Hotel was empty, leaving only Director Wang, who was still cursing and swearing as he picked up his finger that had been stepped on and dirtied.
Suddenly, a filthy hand rested on his shoulder, a rotting head poked out, and it took a bite out of his neck.
"Help! Help! Save me!"
Perhaps because his windpipe had been bitten through, his voice became hoarse.
Several more zombies rushed up from behind, pinning him to the ground and tearing at him. After just a moment, only his body remained, twitching slightly.
Outside the door, the sound of zombies tearing at flesh was clearly audible. The sound of skin ripping and bones being crunched made one's hair stand on end.
Lin Qi fought back the nausea churning in his stomach. In an instant, he broke out in a cold sweat, leaned against the wall, sat on the ground, and gasped for air.
Under extreme mental tension, he hadn't felt anything, but now that he had relaxed, all the symptoms surfaced.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead along his cheeks, and his dazed mind slowly recovered. Outside the Iron Gate, the sound of zombies tearing at flesh continued, and a foul stench gradually permeated the lobby.
Lin Qi glanced at Zhao Tuantuan nearby and found that the young girl was not as panicked as he had imagined. Instead, her gaze was steady as she guardedly watched the person who had been bitten to death in the lobby.
"Aren't you afraid?"
Surprised, Lin Qi couldn't help but ask.
Zhao Tuantuan subconsciously shook her head, but quickly nodded again.
"Compared to the zombies, I'm more afraid of them!"
Following her gaze, Lin Qi remembered that there was still a Corpse on the ground that hadn't been dealt with. He forced himself to stand up, took out his dagger, and walked over.
Since his throat had been bitten through, he wouldn't normally die that quickly, but the ravages of the virus would cause him to lose consciousness very soon.
Once he regained consciousness in his body, he would become a Special Zombie.
At this moment, only by stepping forward and destroying his head could the future threat be completely eliminated.
Lin Qi stepped forward and took a look. This unlucky guy had died a miserable death; most of his neck had been bitten off, and his windpipe was even exposed. Black veins were already spreading across his face, and it wouldn't be long before he turned into a zombie.
He adjusted to a suitable stance, gripped the dagger with an underhand grip, aimed at the top of the Corpse's head, and plunged it straight down!
Just at that moment, the Corpse on the ground suddenly opened its glazed eyes, let out a hiss, and then went completely still.
"That's good, otherwise he would have turned into a zombie a bit later!"
Lin Qi breathed a sigh of relief. He had already seen zombies in this state; one could chase down and devour over a dozen people. If he had allowed it to fully undergo Mutation, he definitely wouldn't have been able to defeat it without a proper weapon.
Just as Lin Qi was about to pull the dagger out, his vision suddenly became illusory, making him subconsciously think he was feeling dizzy again.
But the illusory feeling vanished instantly, replaced by a transparent light screen.
【Kill a zombie using a dagger to acquire Dagger Mastery.】
【Current skill can be advanced: Advancement conditions:
1: Swing the dagger one hundred times.
2: Stab a target's vital point ten times.
Lin Qi tried swinging the dagger, and the condition for one hundred times indeed changed to 1/100. This confirmed that what he was seeing was definitely not a hallucination.
"Brother Lin, what's wrong with you?"
Zhao Tuantuan watched Lin Qi's strange behavior, and a sense of inexplicable worry arose in her heart.
She only had him to rely on right now; if something were to happen to him, it would be very difficult for her to survive on her own.
From the moment he woke up until now, the feeling Lin Qi gave her was like he was a completely different person, but the young girl had a special theory in her heart.
"It's nothing, I just feel like I'm getting more comfortable using the dagger."
Lin Qi had used a dagger to skin sheep and kill rabbits in the past, but at this moment, he felt as if he had been using it for years. Without realizing it, he spun the dagger in his hand, becoming increasingly proficient.
"Brother Lin, did you also awaken?"
Tuan Tuan asked cautiously, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"Awaken?"
Lin Qi, who was swinging the dagger, paused subconsciously. Could this girl have noticed his abnormality?
"Do you mean that you have already awakened?"
His appearance in this Doomsday World was already abnormal to begin with. Now that he had a cheat, and knowing that there was such a thing as awakening, he didn't find it so strange anymore.
After all, people had already mutated into zombies; having other abilities was understandable.
"I don't know if it counts, but lately I've been able to feel my body slowly changing. When I was in school, I studied subjects related to human genes, and I suspect that I've awakened some kind of ability related to my genes."
When Zhao Tuantuan spoke of this, there was a hint of confidence in her eyes. Although she only had a high school education, because of her interests, she knew a lot about human genetics. While she wasn't as knowledgeable as the professionals, she could still distinguish simple changes.
"Then what did you awaken?"
Lin Qi looked at Zhao Tuantuan curiously. Although she appeared calm, there wasn't a trace of any special ability on her.
Hearing Lin Qi's question, a hint of panic appeared in Zhao Tuantuan's eyes; it seemed difficult for her to speak about it.
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