Chapter 72: Lessons Learned and the Path Ahead

Qiao Xia’s recent battle was no different from children playing house, at least in Duan Yulan’s eyes.

Yet, she watched intently, and her subsequent guidance struck directly at the heart of the matter.

Qiao Xia, lacking experience in combating monsters, appeared somewhat naive, committing the foolish mistake of getting his weapon stuck.

Had he been fighting something other than a zombie—a different mutated creature or a more formidable monster—he would have faced life-threatening peril multiple times, rather than merely evading with such ease.

Upon hearing Duan Yulan’s words, Qiao Xia had little to say regarding his underestimation of the skull’s hardness.

Duan Yulan was right.

He truly hadn’t anticipated the skull could be so resilient, that even his incredibly sharp Tang Blade couldn’t cleave through it.

However, the second point left Qiao Xia at a loss for a solution.

He usually only exercised in the neighborhood’s outdoor gym area, rarely visited a proper gym, and had no experience whatsoever with martial arts. How, then, was he supposed to reduce his superfluous movements?

“I will teach you the skills needed to survive in the apocalypse later, so don’t worry too much. For now, let’s keep moving forward! Display all your weaknesses; it will help me formulate a more detailed training plan.”

Just as Qiao Xia was agonizing over his predicament, Duan Yulan’s next words made him turn to her in surprise, having not expected a solution to appear so suddenly.

Then again, it made sense.

If Duan Yulan had been indifferent to him, there wouldn’t have been that scene of her handing him a blade in front of the police station.

Having always lived alone, Qiao Xia had learned to rely solely on himself in every situation. Others’ help was merely the icing on the cake.

He couldn’t take others’ kindness for granted.

Likewise, in crucial moments, he could only depend on himself.

This was a lesson Qiao Xia had deeply internalized ever since he started going to the hospital alone as a child.

Someone once said that loneliness has ten levels, with the highest being undergoing surgery alone. Fortunately, he hadn’t become someone he disliked due to loneliness; aside from being a bit of a homebody, he was no different from others, and perhaps even more self-reliant.

However, the zombie virus outbreak now prevented Qiao Xia from even being a homebody.

He was forced into action, made to step out of his comfortable home, or face an inevitable death.

In this misfortune, perhaps the only silver lining was Duan Yulan’s companionship, which allowed him to quickly adapt to the current chaos, unlike others who remained foolishly ignorant.

For some inexplicable reason, seeing Duan Yulan’s detached demeanor towards everything made Qiao Xia feel that zombies or mutated creatures like ghoul rats were no different from cats and dogs to her.

If Duan Yulan wished, she could effortlessly kick them to death.

This instilled a significant sense of security in Qiao Xia, knowing that as long as Duan Yulan was by his side, he wouldn’t die too miserably, at least for now.

However, a mountain relied upon can crumble, and people relied upon can flee.

Moreover, Qiao Xia wished to repay Duan Yulan for her help in the future. If he remained useless, wouldn’t he lose the chance to ever repay her?

He imagined Duan Yulan casting a disdainful glance his way, then directly telling him to offer himself in marriage… Thinking of such a development, Qiao Xia’s desire to grow stronger immediately intensified, giving him even greater motivation.

Although Duan Yulan was a beautiful and wealthy young woman, Qiao Xia preferred to enhance his own strength, striving to stand on equal footing with her. That way, he would even have more confidence when speaking to her.

Pondering these thoughts, Qiao Xia tightened his grip on the hilt of his Tang Blade. He looked up at the corridor at the other end of the police station lobby, where a simple route map on the wall indicated the detention cells were at the very back.

The lobby was the entrance. One had to pass through a corridor, with the armory on the left and the interrogation rooms on the right.

Only after passing the interrogation rooms would one truly reach the detention cells.

Upon seeing the armory, Qiao Xia’s eyes inexplicably brightened. He wondered if he could get some benefits beforehand, which would make dealing with zombies much easier later on.

No matter how hard a zombie’s skull was, a single bullet would immediately spell their doom.

Alas, Qiao Xia only fantasized.

The police station’s armory required a special key to open. Otherwise, at the onset of the chaos, with a group of police officers conveniently locked in the detention cells, the firearms in the armory would have long been snatched away in the pandemonium.

How could they still be here now?

‘Roar’

Spotting three zombies appearing ahead in the corridor, Qiao Xia instantly perked up. He gripped his Tang Blade and charged forward without hesitation.

This time, Qiao Xia learned his lesson. He didn’t aim for the zombies’ skulls again but instead targeted their necks with a swift slash.

Indeed, it was highly effective.

As the first zombie’s head rolled to the ground with a thud, Qiao Xia had already moved on to attack the second zombie, swiftly dodging the two zombies’ clawing and biting. His blade swung out once more.

After the second zombie’s head fell, Qiao Xia wasted no time. He kicked the last zombie in the chest, calculating its attack trajectory, then reoriented the blade in his hand.

Finally, as all three zombie heads dropped one by one, the battle concluded.

Unlike his heavy breathing after the last fight, Qiao Xia emerged victorious with remarkable ease this time.

He hadn’t even broken a sweat.

Indeed, decapitation was much simpler!

Or perhaps, his growth rate was simply exceptional.

Hee hee.

‘Battle genius’ was probably a fitting description for him.

“When swinging your weapon, don’t exert too much force. You don’t know if you’ll face another battle immediately after, so always conserve some stamina to deal with potential dangers.”

However, just as Qiao Xia was reveling in self-satisfaction, Duan Yulan’s subsequent words were like a basin of cold water poured over his head, making him suddenly realize that his path ahead was still incredibly long!

Keep going, keep going.

No matter how arduous, Qiao Xia truly didn’t believe he could never finish it if he persevered.

If not in one day, then two.

If not in two days, then four… Eventually, persistence would lead him to the end, to his ultimate destination.

Feeling newly energized, Qiao Xia nodded at Duan Yulan, then immediately quickened his pace down the corridor, eager to meet the next battle.

The feeling of improving his strength through combat was simply exhilarating!

Although it wasn’t like a game where killing monsters yielded experience points and visible level-ups, through each swing of his blade and Duan Yulan’s vocal guidance, Qiao Xia could distinctly feel his growth accelerating rapidly.

Haha, let the storm rage even more fiercely!