NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 30: The Hammer of Thor
An unsettling silence descended upon the street, broken only by the jarring snap of the slingshot’s elastic bands. Lu Ming stared down at the broken slingshot in his hand, a wave of frustration washing over him. He slapped his forehead in self-deprecation.
“Overdid it,” he muttered.
No matter how robust a slingshot was, it was ultimately designed for ordinary humans. With his augmented strength, now nearly six times that of an average person, it wasn’t surprising that the slingshot couldn’t handle the intense force he exerted.
“Plan B it is. Retreat to the basement,” he declared, his voice laced with resignation. He had resigned himself to flight.
However, as he cast a final glance out the window, a peculiar sight met his eyes. The monstrous hunter, perched across the street, remained motionless. It was completely absorbed in devouring Zhang Ye’s remains, showing no interest in acknowledging Lu Ming’s presence.
A realization dawned on him. While these Tier 2 zombies possessed a degree of intelligence, it primarily manifested in their hunting instincts. In a sense, their cognitive abilities paled in comparison to a living human’s. For instance, they lacked the capacity to distinguish between strengths and weaknesses in the same way. The Mystery Factor, a bizarre phenomenon of the new world, allowed high-tier zombies to readily identify the level of an Awakened individual. In their rudimentary understanding, only high-level Awakened individuals posed a significant threat, while ordinary humans were deemed harmless. And Lu Ming, to the hunter’s perception, belonged to the latter category—just another “ordinary” survivor.
This revelation sparked a shift in Lu Ming’s approach. He tossed the broken slingshot aside and reached for his trusty bow and arrow. With practiced motions, he nocked an arrow and aimed at the hunter. The monstrous entity continued to feast, oblivious to the impending attack.
Crack!
There was a sharp click. Just like the slingshot, the bow, constructed of a seemingly robust aluminum alloy, couldn’t withstand the immense force Lu Ming exerted and snapped in two. The survivors below witnessed this scene with a mixture of disappointment and bewilderment.
When Lu Ming shattered the slingshot, they remained silent, their eyes filled with a flicker of disappointment. But as the bow met its demise, they couldn’t help but let out a collective sigh of despair.
Wang Xiong, unable to contain his confusion, finally spoke up. “Brother, what on earth are you doing?”
Lu Ming’s voice, devoid of panic, drifted down from the second floor. “I hadn’t anticipated my weapons being so weak. They’re no longer suitable for my current strength.”
Wang Xiong, clearly exasperated, started to formulate a response. “Brother, given your situation, we…”
A deafening explosion shattered the tense silence. In the distance, where the monstrous hunter stood, chunks of shattered reinforced concrete rained down amidst a swirling cloud of smoke and dust. The hunter’s tortured wails pierced the air, a chilling testament to the sudden pain inflicted upon it.
The thunderous sound left the seven survivors below speechless. Their bewildered gazes flew upwards toward the window, where Lu Ming stood, a curious grin spreading across his face. He gripped a dumbbell in his hand, the weight plate violently twisted and detached from the bar.
“Now this,” he declared, brandishing the makeshift projectile, “this is more like it.”
The two-and-a-half-kilogram weight plate, grotesquely mangled from the forceful removal, spoke volumes about the raw strength Lu Ming currently possessed. He hefted the plate, his arm drawn back in a motion akin to a human slingshot launching a projectile.
“Fire!” he roared, releasing the weight plate with explosive force. The resulting sonic boom rattled the window frame, threatening to shatter the glass.
The weight plate tore through the air at an impossible speed, barely discernible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, Lu Ming’s aim was slightly off-target. Unlike the first attack that landed a direct blow on the hunter’s lower body, this one slammed into a nearby shop, causing the entire structure to convulse as if a gas cylinder had detonated.
The deafening impact elicited a bewildered howl from the hunter.
While seemingly agile and boasting quick reflexes, the hunter had completely underestimated Lu Ming—the seemingly ordinary survivor. It hadn’t even bothered to acknowledge him as a potential threat, a fatal mistake fueled by arrogance and carelessness.
The first throw, a stroke of luck for Lu Ming and misfortune for the hunter, had struck true, severing the monster’s torso with a burst of terrifying energy. The creature’s agonizing roar filled the air, a mixture of pain and fury. This second attack, however, had missed its mark, crashing into the nearby building and momentarily silencing the hunter. Only then did it comprehend the true danger it faced. Any thoughts of retaliation vanished—a legless creature was in no position to launch a counteroffensive. Its only desire now was escape. But with its legs severed, escape was an impossible dream.
Lu Ming, however, had no intention of letting this formidable threat slip away. Another thunderous boom echoed through the street as the third weight plate slammed into the ground two meters in front of the hunter. Shrapnel of steel and concrete rained down, piercing the monster’s eyes, causing it to hesitate and flinch.
Another throw. And another. Lu Ming unleashed a relentless barrage of weight plates, each one a deadly projectile raining down upon the crippled hunter.
The relentless barrage continued. Each dumbbell plate launched from the window resembled a cannonball, its trajectory a deadly blur. The once peaceful street of Good Hope Village was now a cacophony of explosions, the deafening booms echoing through the deserted landscape. The intensity of the sounds even surpassed the artillery fire unleashed by the military weeks ago.
Unsurprisingly, the commotion attracted the attention of the roaming hordes of zombies. But Lu Ming, consumed by his relentless assault, remained oblivious. He was a human cannon, firing off weight plates with mechanical precision.
An unexpected notification flashed across his vision:
- Throw Lv1 (0/100): You have mastered the basics of throwing. All attributes +0.1.
The unexpected progress fueled his determination. He continued his barrage until his throwing skill reached Lv1 (53/100) and stopped increasing. Finally, he shattered the remaining dumbbell, scattering the pieces across the street, before ceasing his onslaught.
As the dust settled, the scene at the end of the street was a horrifying tableau. The once pristine road was now a pockmarked mess, an unsightly testament to the brutal battle. And in the center of this wasteland lay a grotesque amalgamation of flesh, unrecognizable and mangled beyond any semblance of its former form. Lu Ming surveyed the scene with a satisfied nod.
“Not bad. Looks like it’s done for,” he muttered to himself. “Not as formidable as I thought it’d be.”
With a decisive click, he slammed shut the window, seeking a well-deserved rest.
Back on the ground, Wang Xiong and the others stood speechless, their faces etched with disbelief. They had been frozen in a daze since the first thunderous boom, the events unfolding before them too surreal to comprehend. Only when the window shut with finality did they finally break free from their stupor. Gasps of astonishment filled the air. They exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes alternating between each other and the obliterated remains of the monstrous hunter.
“That’s… that’s it?” stammered Zhang Lixin, his voice barely a whisper. “It’s… over?”
Wang Xiong echoed his sentiment, bewildered by the abrupt conclusion. “Yeah, is it over already?”
Dr. Meng Jie, ever the analytical one, chimed in, her brow furrowed in contemplation. “I wonder what Lu Ming’s Awakened level is.”
Zhang Chengcheng, however, had the most immediate reaction. With a burst of adrenaline, she sprinted toward the obliterated remains of the hunter, her eyes scanning the area for any sign of her brother. Fortunately, Zhang Ye’s body appeared relatively unscathed(?). It seemed the hunter, in its desperate escape attempt, had abandoned its meal.
She gently lifted her brother’s body, her movements tender yet resolute. Taking a deep breath, she closed his wide-open eyes. Her gaze then flickered upwards, landing on Lu Ming’s building. An odd sensation settled over her—a strange mixture of awe and curiosity. The earth-shattering display of power she had just witnessed was forever etched in her memory. To her, it was nothing short of divine intervention, a god smiting a demon with an otherworldly power.
“The Hammer of Thor,” an odd phrase suddenly reverberated within her mind. The more she contemplated it, the more apt the name seemed. Such a magnificent display of strength deserved a name of equal grandeur, and the person wielding such power…
“Lu Ming,” she whispered, his name tasting foreign yet strangely familiar on her tongue. “His name is Lu Ming.”
End of Chapter 30